Mixed vaccines no longer approved

[nocl]

11 hours ago, kiwimum said:

To throw another iron in the fire.  Received this from my family this afternoon.  Have no idea of the validity.

 

https://amp.9news.com.au/article/4306cec0-5d9c-403b-8357-efaf315622c2

That explains the news story about travel concerns with those having received the Indian manufactured AZ vaccine, Covishield. Not a problem with cruise lines or US, but with the EU, and the lack of consistent acceptance of WHO emergency authorized vaccines ny all members.

[Tidalmist]

I think that this is really turning into a sh**show! It is time that the rules are the same across all cruiselines. My DH has Moderna and Pfizer and he will be able to travel on HAL but not NCL…..oh, but he can travel NCL in Europe but not from the US. 

[POA1]

19 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

@POA1, I haven't been able to find that reference on the WHO site - could you let us know where you saw it, please?

I have scoured my browser history and I can't find it. The reason it stuck in my head was the half day thing. I usually save these types of things, but we went the J&J route, so 2nd dose did not matter.

 

However, I did find CDC (US) guidance that says that up to 6 weeks is okay, but not recommended.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/second-shot.html#:~:text=You should get your second shot as close to the,get the second dose early.

 

If that link acts up, let me know. The text on the page says:

 

If You Need a Second Shot

Updated June 3, 2021

 

 

If you receive a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you will need 2 shots to get the most protection. COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable. If you received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you should get the same product for your second shot. You should get your second shot even if you have side effects after the first shot, unless a vaccination provider or your doctor tells you not to get it.

Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents and young adults have been reported more often after getting the second dose than after the first dose of one of these two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. These reports are rare and the known and potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis.

Timing of Your Second Shot

The timing between your first and second shots depends on which vaccine you received.

• If you received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, you should get your second shot 3 weeks (or 21 days) after your first.
• If you received the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, you should get your second shot 4 weeks (or 28 days) after your first.

You should get your second shot as close to the recommended 3-week or 4-week interval as possible. However, your second dose may be given up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose, if necessary. You should not get the second dose early. There is currently limited information on the effectiveness of receiving your second shot earlier than recommended or later than 6 weeks after the first shot.

However, if you do receive your second shot of COVID-19 vaccine earlier or later than recommended, you do not have to restart the vaccine series. This guidance might be updated as more information becomes available.

[kazu]

5 minutes ago, POA1 said:

However, if you do receive your second shot of COVID-19 vaccine earlier or later than recommended, you do not have to restart the vaccine series. This guidance might be updated as more information becomes available.

 

I think these final statements are very telling.

 

Thanks for sharing 👍 
 

[mcrcruiser]

Princess cruises has yet to establish  the health protocols for their 2022 cruises  . We trust that they will be published soon on their  web site .  

 

What with this D variant  in every USA state ,we are sure that the cruise lines with have to have protocols  set  up as this variant is much more highly transmissable  including young children is what we read   .thus ,we anticipate never a dull moment for the cruise industry 

 

 For sure being vaccinated we would not welcome wearing masks on board any cruise ship  .Rather cancel if it comes to that 

 

    

[nocl]

22 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Princess cruises has yet to establish  the health protocols for their 2022 cruises  . We trust that they will be published soon on their  web site .  

 

What with this D variant  in every USA state ,we are sure that the cruise lines with have to have protocols  set  up as this variant is much more highly transmissable  including young children is what we read   .thus ,we anticipate never a dull moment for the cruise industry 

 

 For sure being vaccinated we would not welcome wearing masks on board any cruise ship  .Rather cancel if it comes to that 

 

    

They have not established them because they do not know if the CSO will be extended.

[POA1]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

I think these final statements are very telling.

 

Thanks for sharing 👍 
 

To be honest, I'm very concerned that you're doing the weekly Future Cruise Listing posts on our servers in the US. We use hella lots of bleach, but the danger is off the charts.

[kazu]

1 minute ago, POA1 said:

To be honest, I'm very concerned that you're doing the weekly Future Cruise Listing posts on our servers in the US. We use hella lots of bleach, but the danger is off the charts.

LOL 😂. It’s ok, you’re safe.  I’m vaccinated 🙂 😝 

[Vict0riann]

Thanks, @POA1, I am less concerned with what the CDC is saying, as I figure we will get into FLL somehow, and more worried about the WHO requirements.  When and if the EU decides to issue COVID certificates to non-EU citizens, that will make life so much easier for a cruise hitting many countries .  But the EU is following WHO guidance regarding vaccines, I’m not sure about timing.  

[nocl]

5 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Thanks, @POA1, I am less concerned with what the CDC is saying, as I figure we will get into FLL somehow, and more worried about the WHO requirements.  When and if the EU decides to issue COVID certificates to non-EU citizens, that will make life so much easier for a cruise hitting many countries .  But the EU is following WHO guidance regarding vaccines, I’m not sure about timing.  

The EU has a whole is not recognizing the WHO authorization list, thus the problem with the Indian and Australian produced versions of the AZ vaccines. Some countries inside of the EU are recognizing them, but some are not.

[Vict0riann]

9 minutes ago, nocl said:

The EU has a whole is not recognizing the WHO authorization list, thus the problem with the Indian and Australian produced versions of the AZ vaccines. Some countries inside of the EU are recognizing them, but some are not.

 

We received two Pfizer jabs, but 3 months apart, which was why I asked POA1 about his reference to the WHO not accepting our timing.   I am hoping that, by the time we sail (October), it will be possible to apply for and get an EU certificate and QR code for the countries we’ll be visiting, and save having to do all the countries (8) individually. 

[Vatch]

According to the who guidelines updated June 21 countries can extend the phizer up to 12 weeks (3 months) in order to maximize first dose coverage which is what Canada did...well once supplies started to roll in and health Canada backed off the 16 week recommendation.  For astra Zeneca who recommends between 8 to 12 weeks for second dose and thankfully I got my second astra bang on 8 weeks.  I was concerned about potential issues with travel due to mixing so I was glad when the second dose offered was also astra Zeneca for myself.

 

Who pfizer link

 

https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1351420/retrieve

Who astra zeneca link

 

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/act-accelerator/covax/considerations-for-optimizing-deployment-of-az_final.pdf?sfvrsn=941f45a7_1&download=true

[kazu]

14 minutes ago, Vatch said:

According to the who guidelines updated June 21 countries can extend the phizer up to 12 weeks (3 months) in order to maximize first dose coverage which is what Canada did...well once supplies started to roll in and health Canada backed off the 16 week recommendation.  For astra Zeneca who recommends between 8 to 12 weeks for second dose and thankfully I got my second astra bang on 8 weeks.  I was concerned about potential issues with travel due to mixing so I was glad when the second dose offered was also astra Zeneca for myself.

 

Who pfizer link

 

https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1351420/retrieve

Who astra zeneca link

 

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/act-accelerator/covax/considerations-for-optimizing-deployment-of-az_final.pdf?sfvrsn=941f45a7_1&download=true

 

thank you for posting this.  I was sure I recalled reading something wherein Canada was operating within guidelines.  With the updated guidelines, the timing should be ok for Canadians.

 

The only issue remaining now is those that received AZ and subsequent MRNA vaccines.  🤞 that this will soon be all sorted out and simplified for everyone. After all, the ships want to be sailing full.  Eliminating vaccinated passengers is not going to help them do that. 😉 

 

 

[nocl]

1 hour ago, Vict0riann said:

 

We received two Pfizer jabs, but 3 months apart, which was why I asked POA1 about his reference to the WHO not accepting our timing.   I am hoping that, by the time we sail (October), it will be possible to apply for and get an EU certificate and QR code for the countries we’ll be visiting, and save having to do all the countries (8) individually. 

So far there do not seem to be any issues about timing as long as you completed the two dose series with the same product.

[Vict0riann]

1 hour ago, Vatch said:

According to the who guidelines updated June 21 countries can extend the phizer up to 12 weeks (3 months) in order to maximize first dose coverage which is what Canada did...well once supplies started to roll in and health Canada backed off the 16 week recommendation.  For astra Zeneca who recommends between 8 to 12 weeks for second dose and thankfully I got my second astra bang on 8 weeks.  I was concerned about potential issues with travel due to mixing so I was glad when the second dose offered was also astra Zeneca for myself.

 

Who pfizer link

 

https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1351420/retrieve

 

 

Very good news.  Thank you.  

[Briguy071]

3 hours ago, kazu said:

 

thank you for posting this.  I was sure I recalled reading something wherein Canada was operating within guidelines.  With the updated guidelines, the timing should be ok for Canadians.

 

The only issue remaining now is those that received AZ and subsequent MRNA vaccines.  🤞 that this will soon be all sorted out and simplified for everyone. After all, the ships want to be sailing full.  Eliminating vaccinated passengers is not going to help them do that. 😉 

 

 

So looking forward to mar 2022 cruise but I have had Pfizer and moderna and wife astra and moderna. Hopefully this gets sorted out. They will be loosing many cruisers 

[kazu]

25 minutes ago, Briguy071 said:

So looking forward to mar 2022 cruise but I have had Pfizer and moderna and wife astra and moderna. Hopefully this gets sorted out. They will be loosing many cruisers 

 

Well you are ok, it’s the AZ that needs to be straightened out.

Sailing, cruising is just starting and honestly, I think things will get a lot smoother in a short time.  

Let’s face it, vaccinated passengers are a good thing and the mix of astra and MRNA has shown to boost immunity.  Fingers crossed for us all 🤞 Life needs to be simple.

[ehogan]

A poster  on the “Canadian cruisers” board on CC stated that RCCL had removed their statement that mixed doses rendered you “unvaccinated”.  Just checked on RCCL vax info FAQ  and there is now no mention that mixed doses are not valid.

 

Hopefully other lines will follow suit.

[mathgirl314]

43 minutes ago, ehogan said:

A poster  on the “Canadian cruisers” board on CC stated that RCCL had removed their statement that mixed doses rendered you “unvaccinated”.  Just checked on RCCL vax info FAQ  and there is now no mention that mixed doses are not valid.

 

Hopefully other lines will follow suit.

That would be so good... was thinking things would change again but was expecting it to take much longer. Will see if the others follow suit.

Constantly changing!

[mcrcruiser]

Still no one knows the length of time from first vaccinated  to when the protection diminishes  to the point that boosters are required for continued immunity . Never mind cruises more important are the health of countries . so far we read that pfizer was working on a booster to encompass the new variants 

 

 Can any one ad to the above

[Daniel A]

On 7/16/2021 at 8:26 AM, Daniel A said:

I don't know that it's up to HAL.  The CDC in the U.S. is permitting sailing with 95% "Fully Vaccinated Passengers and Crew"  If the CDC doesn't recognize people with the mixed doses to be "Fully Vaccinated" (they don't) then it is the CDC or the WHO the Canadian Government might want to address on this matter.

As I suspected, this is a requirement the CDC added to the Conditional Sail Order, thus the cruise lines are scrambling to comply with the CDC mandate.

 

"Sources have told Cruise Critic on background that the new changes are being mandated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for voyages leaving U.S. ports of call as part of the CDC's Conditional Sail Order, though not every line has announced this policy."

 

Cruise Lines Modify Vaccination Policies to Prohibit Vaccine Mixing (cruisecritic.com)

 

[saskacruiser]

I’m Canadian, and received 1st AZ and 2nd Phizer. I don’t feel like I’ve been duped or am hard done by making that decision. I’m not going to scramble or worry. Rather, I feel like if I can’t cruise because of this ridiculous new rule, their loss. We have Hawaii booked, but we have a finite amount of vacation dollars and are more than willing to cancel and spend that $$ on some other vacation, and no doubt we’ll keep it in our own country. 

[kazu]

13 minutes ago, saskacruiser said:

I’m Canadian, and received 1st AZ and 2nd Phizer. I don’t feel like I’ve been duped or am hard done by making that decision. I’m not going to scramble or worry. Rather, I feel like if I can’t cruise because of this ridiculous new rule, their loss. We have Hawaii booked, but we have a finite amount of vacation dollars and are more than willing to cancel and spend that $$ on some other vacation, and no doubt we’ll keep it in our own country. 

 

Good for you 👍 

 

I’m pretty sure that the rules may be amended before your cruise time.  Things have to be simplified and recognized.

 

I think Canadians are going to be welcomed everywhere as we continue to stick out our arms to achieve herd immunity.  Our percentage of population  fully vaccinated has already surpassed the United States and continues to climb.  There was nothing wrong with trying to get a first dose in everyone first and then move to the 2nd.

 

I LOVE your attitude though 🙂 

 

[tjones21]

Just wanted to update you on our cruise cancellation (Athens - Venice Sept. 24) based on having received the AZ for our first and the Moderna for the second.  We contacted our cruise advisor and she cancelled our cruise and our travel insurance and has told us that we should have a full refund within 90 days.  

Hopefully this will all be resolved before our next cruise which is scheduled in March of 2022.

[Vict0riann]

1 minute ago, tjones21 said:

Just wanted to update you on our cruise cancellation (Athens - Venice Sept. 24) based on having received the AZ for our first and the Moderna for the second.  We contacted our cruise advisor and she cancelled our cruise and our travel insurance and has told us that we should have a full refund within 90 days.  

Hopefully this will all be resolved before our next cruise which is scheduled in March of 2022.

 

I imagine you are past your final payment date - will you incur any penalty?  I know when HAL cancelled a cruise for us, we even got back our insurance premium, but it was because they cancelled us, not the other way around.  But I suppose in this instance they are actually canceling you because of their rule about not mixing vaccines.