The United States will allow travellers who received Covid vaccines in mixed doses to enter the country

Key Highlights

• While the CDC in the United States does not allow mixed vaccines in primary series, it is fairly common in other countries.
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously stated that it would accept any vaccines approved by the US regulator or the World Health Organization.
• Beginning November 8, the United States will relax Covid-19 travel restrictions for international passengers.

International visitors who have been immunised with a combination of Covid vaccines will now be permitted to enter the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States confirmed on Friday that they will accept mixed-dose vaccines from international travellers.

“While the CDC does not recommend mixing vaccine types in a primary series, we recognise that this is becoming more common in other countries and should be accepted for the interpretation of vaccine records,” a CDC spokeswoman said.

The CDC earlier said that it would accept any vaccines approved by the US regulator or the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The US will ease Covid-19 travel restrictions for international passengers from November 8.

Additionally, the US also endorsed the booster dose of Johnson & Covid-19 Johnson’s vaccine, admitting that Americans who got the single-dose vaccine are not as protected as those who got other double-dose vaccines.

J&J told US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that a booster dose provides additional protection as early as two months after the initial vaccine but will work better for those who get it after 6 months. The FDA’s advisory panel voted that booster shot should be taken at least 2 months after the initial vaccination.

Initial results from ongoing research suggest that J&J recipients may have a stronger response if the booster dose is from another brand. The preliminary results from a new study catering to effects of taking competing vaccine brands showed that booster shot from a competing vaccine jacked up virus-fighting antibodies — at least for a few weeks and it was most effective from taking a Pfizer or a Moderna booster shot after a J&J vaccine.