Can you book a 4th jab?

[HelenaHandcart0]

If I’m reading it right, most of Europe seems to be bringing a rule that entry will depend on your most recent COVID jab being in the last 6 months or less.
For planning summer travel to eg France, does that mean we’ll need another booster?
I had mine in December so would need another before an August holiday.

Can you just book a 4th jab? Or turn up at a walk in centre?

Or am I misunderstanding?

No, not unless you are CEV and have a letter to say you need the booster. As CEV are offered 4.

I live in an EU country. At the moment, you count as "fully vaccinated" for an unlimited period if you have had 3 doses. If you've had 2, you are fine for 270 days. It's also acceptable to come here if you can prove that you have recovered from covid in the last 180 days, or with a negative PCR less than 48 hours old.

This is going to catch so many people. My DH had his booster October so cannot go on holiday to any of those countries that are requiring vaccines within a certain date, he’s not eligible for another vaccine any time soon.

@LaTomatina I wonder if that also applies to UK visitors? I had a feeling that as we are now non-EU it was stricter for us?

It’s not easy to find definitive rules but if there’s no option for us to get a 4th jab I’d better go and do some research on which countries allow ‘old’ boosters!
I’ll post what I can find.

You’re misunderstanding. If your second jab was more than 270 days ago, you have to have had a booster, but there’s no upper limit to how long ago that booster was.

I think countries will have to drop the time limits rule at some point because most of Europe will be months past having a booster and governments are not going to fund extra jabs so we can go on holiday. I’ve had three that’s enough. My last was in October and we usually go away abroad in September so it’ll be nearly a year.

I’ll have one a year going forward if it becomes the plan like I do the flu jab as I work on a ward but I’m not having boosters so I can go on holiday

@HelenaHandcart0 it does apply to UK visitors, yes. I have been checking very carefully because I need to visit the UK next week.

At the moment here, the elderly, vulnerable, health workers have only just had the 3rd shot. We're a few months behind you guys, not even any talk of 4th booster here yet.

@Aposterhasnoname

You’re misunderstanding. If your second jab was more than 270 days ago, you have to have had a booster, but there’s no upper limit to how long ago that booster was.

This. The rule will only catch out people who’ve have 2 vaccines.

You’re misunderstanding. If your second jab was more than 270 days ago, you have to have had a booster, but there’s no upper limit to how long ago that booster was.

You are fully vaccinated if you had your 2nd dose of an acceptable vaccine the last 270 days. If it's more than 270 days, you are no longer fully vaccinated. If you have had 3, you qualify as fully vaccinated for an unlimited period. In Slovenia, at the moment.

From the government website with regard UK entry to Spain...

At least 14 days must have passed since being fully vaccinated (with both doses of a 2-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) before arrival in Spain. Your date(s) of vaccination must be specified and your final dose must have been administered within 270 days prior to travel to Spain. If you completed your vaccination (with both doses of a 2-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) more than 270 days prior to travel to Spain, you must be able to show proof of having received a booster jab. There is no requirement for 14 days to have passed between receiving your booster jab and entering Spain. Booster jabs can be administered at any time prior to travel to Spain.

So yes if you've had 3 jabs you are good to go...

I imagine at some point vaccines will become like flu or yellow fever vaccines. The flu jab is not free for everyone. Some countries require yellow fever vaccines and you get them from a travel clinic and pay for them.

So countries will be able to specify what vaccines visitors must have. They may even bring in temporary vaccine requirements if they are experiencing a covid wave. People who want to visit that country will need to pay for any additional vaccines needed to gain entry to the country.