Celebrity Vaccine Policy- Do vaccines expire?

[drarill]

This showed up on my google page this morning.  I wouldn't be surprised if RCI (parent company of both RCCL and Celebrity Cruises) changes the "vaccine requirements" to be "up to date"  on your vaccinations instead of using the term "fully vaccinated" in the future.  

https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbean-international-updates-health-protocols/65223

BTW it is your responsibility to find out the vaccination requirements on the countries that you are visiting.   We travel twice to Europe last year and, went through three different European airports, and saw people being turned away from their flights for not having the right documents.  

Here is a link to an article explaining the "up to date" CDC recommendation.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-01-21/cdc-stands-by-up-to-date-vaccine-language-shift-as-new-data-shows-importance-of-covid-19-booster-shots

And here is another article about Spain, requiring the booster shot for travelers, starting February 1st.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/spain-to-require-covid-booster-shots-international-travelers

Last but not least, @VitaminSea53 you won't be able to access restaurants or museums in Italy if you don't have a booster shot administered within six (not nine) months of your trip.  Here is a link to the change in policy from nine months to six months.  https://www.thelocal.it/20220131/italy-urges-people-to-book-boosters-ahead-of-covid-pass-validity-cut/

Hope this helps and happy cruising!! Italy is a beautiful country. 

[kwokpot]

13 minutes ago, drarill said:

Last but not least, @VitaminSea53 you won't be able to access restaurants or museums in Italy if you don't have a booster shot administered within six (not nine) months of your trip.  Here is a link to the change in policy from nine months to six months.  https://www.thelocal.it/20220131/italy-urges-people-to-book-boosters-ahead-of-covid-pass-validity-cut/

Hope this helps and happy cruising!! Italy is a beautiful country. 

The article you posted alludes to exactly what I was referring to in my comments on this thread. There will HAVE to be changes to each countries health pass rules otherwise it's not sustainable. The World is trying to get people to get their first booster now. It will not be sustainable to require citizens worldwide get boosters every six months, it's not a realistic goal nor is it recommended even by vaccine manufacturers themselves.  

[Denny01]

I’d like to point out again that when you read these Euro related articles, the 9 or 6 month expirations refer to the EU Vaccination Card, Not the date of vaccinations. They are Not saying your last vaccination, or Booster must be within 6mo, 9mo  or 270 days. 
 

if you are a citizen of an EU country, you’ll need to work this out. If you are a US, Canadian, and I believe UK citizen, this Card expiration business doesn’t apply. But be aware, it appears more countries are requiring the booster. Vaccinations, including Boosters more than 14 days prior to arrival. 
 

all this can change, but this discussion on we have to have another vaccine, a 4th booster?, if we’d had our original Booster back last summer is wrong. 
 

i know I could be off base completely, but none of this ‘vaccines will officially expire’ is wrong. The EU Vaccine Card expires. That’s a big difference and how it impacts most of us. 

 

den 

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

I’d like to point out again that when you read these Euro related articles, the 9 or 6 month expirations refer to the EU Vaccination Card, Not the date of vaccinations. They are Not saying your last vaccination, or Booster must be within 6mo, 9mo  or 270 days. 
 

if you are a citizen of an EU country, you’ll need to work this out. If you are a US, Canadian, and I believe UK citizen, this Card expiration business doesn’t apply. But be aware, it appears more countries are requiring the booster. Vaccinations, including Boosters more than 14 days prior to arrival. 
 

all this can change, but this discussion on we have to have another vaccine, a 4th booster?, if we’d had our original Booster back last summer is wrong. 
 

i know I could be off base completely, but none of this ‘vaccines will officially expire’ is wrong. The EU Vaccine Card expires. That’s a big difference and how it impacts most of us. 

 

den 

That would make much more sense!

[lyndarra]

8 hours ago, VitaminSea53 said:

If I had my 2nd dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine in Mar 2021, is that still good for a cruise in June 2022?  (15 months after last dose) I can’t find any reference to an expiration time frame for vaccines.

If I were you I would get a booster ASAP as your shots from 15 months ago will have mostly lost their efficasy.

[Dancing Shoes]

4 hours ago, lyndarra said:

If I were you I would get a booster ASAP as your shots from 15 months ago will have mostly lost their efficasy.

As long as you are up to date on all of your shots, then you are good to go.  Who knows when and if a 4th shot will be available in the future.  

[smbt1]

7 hours ago, kwokpot said:

MY interpretation is that the  4 month booster shot requirement is going FORWARD from February 15th. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to apply that standard retroactively, to do so means French citizens themselves would not be able to enter public buildings since that timeframe requirement is a new requirement where previously the timeframe was longer. 

My interpretation of what France is requiring is a bit different than yours.  Using the time frames listed earlier in this stream my interpretation is if you have gone longer than X months after your second dose you will no longer be considered to be fully vaccinated in France. 

 

It is not that you must receive the booster at X months, as your statement seems to imply.  You could go a year before getting the booster, then get it and be considered to be fully vaccinated in France.  But for a number of  months prior to receiving the booster you would be considered to not be fully vaccinated.

 

For all of the previous discussion about 4 months and 7 months.  The only information I can find indicates 9 months after second shot it when France no longer considers one to be fully vaccinated.

 

Israel is the only country I can find that is applying a date after which even boosters are not considered to be fully vaccinated.  I believe that in Isreal it cannot be more than 6 months after your last shot, including booster shots, in order to be considered to be fully vaccinated.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by smbt1

[smbt1]

6 hours ago, sunlover33 said:

My point is there would be no European market for Celebrity as these rules would apply to the majority of passengers, and the cruises won’t sail without passengers. We are aware of the rules but unless they are clarified and amended cruising in Europe won’t be happening this summer. 

The rules are pretty clear, for some and an increasing number of countries, you will need a booster or be within a specific period of time since your second shot in order to be considered to be fully vaccinated.  Pretty much means if one is traveling to Europe they will need a booster.

[kwokpot]

13 minutes ago, smbt1 said:

My interpretation of what France is requiring is a bit different than yours.  My interpretation is if you have gone longer than 4 months after your second dose you will no longer be considered to be fully vaccinated in France.  The requirement currently is that you can go 7 months and still be considered vaccinated, but that the period will be shortened to 4 months.

 

It is not that you must receive the booster at 4 months, as your statement seems to imply.  You could go a year before getting the booster, then get it and be considered to be fully vaccinated in France.  But for 8 months prior to receiving the booster you would be considered to not be fully vaccinated.

 

 

That seems the most logical explanation. And probably is how other countries are viewing it. In other words to be considered fully vaccinated without a booster there will be time limits how long ago your last or 2nd shot was. Too long ago and you'll need a booster shot to be admitted in; however, as of now as long as you had a booster it doesn't matter when you got it. 

Edited February 5, 2022 by kwokpot

[SPacificbound]

14 hours ago, VitaminSea53 said:

If I had my 2nd dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine in Mar 2021, is that still good for a cruise in June 2022?  (15 months after last dose) I can’t find any reference to an expiration time frame for vaccines.

Six months after our second Pfizer vaccine we had the booster. There isn't an expiration date, but the vaccine immunity does diminish, which is why they have the booster.

[upwarduk]

1 hour ago, SPacificbound said:

Six months after our second Pfizer vaccine we had the booster. There isn't an expiration date, but the vaccine immunity does diminish, which is why they have the booster.

There will come a time when the booster expires.

That worries me, as I had mine on 6th October. Our cruise is booked for 30.07.22.

Edited February 5, 2022 by upwarduk

[sunlover33]

4 hours ago, kwokpot said:

That seems the most logical explanation. And probably is how other countries are viewing it. In other words to be considered fully vaccinated without a booster there will be time limits how long ago your last or 2nd shot was. Too long ago and you'll need a booster shot to be admitted in; however, as of now as long as you had a booster it doesn't matter when you got it. 

Edited 3 hours ago by kwokpot

I think you are correct. European countries are increasingly insisting that people have had a booster vaccination. Italy clarified their position on Wednesday that if you had your vaccination shot more than 180 days ago you would not be allowed entry to the country, unless you have had a booster. There will be a quite a few people shocked at being denied entry if they think they OK due to being vaccinated, with 2 shots , (or 1 for J&J)  But they won’t get in if not boosted.   Although the situation may improve over the summer,  these countries are worried about further variants and are being very cautious and I think these rules will continue to apply even if the covid numbers drop considerably. No one is insisting  on a 4th shot, yet! 

[TeeRick]

As @drarillpointed out in post#26, at least in the USA there seems to be a shift in terms by the CDC.  See below and CDC link included.

 

IMO these terms are taking us from the current pandemic state to the upcoming endemic state.  In fact the the discussion and confusion over "fully vaccinated"  is warranted as it no longer really applies to the current state of vaccines, variants and shots.  Both Delta and Omicron showed us that.  Even if Celebrity and other lines add a booster requirement to sail, and they use that to mean the new version of  "fully vaccinated" , it will still be a shifting ambiguous target reference state.  Likely to keep changing maybe on a frequent basis.  All of this ambiguity is happening across the EU countries right now, even though at the same time many restrictions are being eased as Omicron subsides.  To be safe (est) and prepared for travel, best to get recommended boosters and be Up To Date instead of relying on the previous definitions of "Fully Vaccinated".    Confusing ?

 

CDC definitions:

Up to date means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible.

Fully vaccinated means a person has received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html

Edited February 5, 2022 by TeeRick

[smbt1]

14 hours ago, kwokpot said:

That seems the most logical explanation. And probably is how other countries are viewing it. In other words to be considered fully vaccinated without a booster there will be time limits how long ago your last or 2nd shot was. Too long ago and you'll need a booster shot to be admitted in; however, as of now as long as you had a booster it doesn't matter when you got it. 

Except for Israel, they do have a limit since your last booster of 6 months.

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, smbt1 said:

Except for Israel, they do have a limit since your last booster of 6 months.

How's that going to workout for visitors? At the end of this month my booster shot will be more than 6 months ago. Guess I couldn't enter Israel? 

[smbt1]

Just now, kwokpot said:

How's that going to workout for visitors? At the end of this month my booster shot will be more than 6 months ago. Guess I couldn't enter Israel? 

Not without another booster.

[Virginia100]

On 2/4/2022 at 10:41 AM, sunlover33 said:

I think a number of us are watching this closely . Italy has reduced validity of vaccination certificates to 6 months, but it’s very unclear if this relates to the second vaccination  or the booster. We are cruising from Rome in the summer too, we had boosters back in November 2021. If they are including booster jabs then our certificates won’t be valid to enter Italy, as there are no further boosters on the horizon until later this year. Italy are due to review this policy due to the effect on tourism, but no changes have been made yet. 

Hmmm. I hadn’t thought of this. My booster was also in November and I didn’t know if fully vaccinated there was any expiration date for Italy . I sail (now maybe) August 8.

[SPacificbound]

12 hours ago, upwarduk said:

There will come a time when the booster expires.

That worries me, as I had mine on 6th October. Our cruise is booked for 30.07.22.

I agree with you, not a expiration date but definitely it will cease to be effective. Our PCP said they have begun with second booster for immune compromised, and our age group would be next. We will have the second booster probably by March.

Edited February 5, 2022 by SPacificbound

[Virginia100]

22 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

As the passenger you are responsible for knowing what you can and cannot do. If you book a cruise which requires more than is required to board or disembark, then be prepared to be denied getting off at that port.  If it is a cruise that embarks or disembarks in Italy, then they would have to make sure you comply so you can get off at the other end.

It will be Celebrity’s responsibility if booking cruises out of Rome to the US market to advise all potential and booked passengers what  entry requirements are required for Italy, especially as many, if not most may not qualify to enter.

[soniam]

It is very confusing. Some of these rules will probably change as the state of covid and new variants change and as new vaccinations are available. Luckily, I don't have to worry about the EU until 2023. However, I am concerned about what the CDC/FDA will allow for covid vax. Some countries seem to have an even shorter time frame right now than the CDC/FDA allow, ie 4 months like in Belgium. Hopefully, rules will stabilize more/be more in line with each other before summer hits for those traveling and cruising.

[smbt1]

17 minutes ago, Virginia100 said:

It will be Celebrity’s responsibility if booking cruises out of Rome to the US market to advise all potential and booked passengers what  entry requirements are required for Italy, especially as many, if not most may not qualify to enter.

Just as with Visa requirements it has always been the passengers responsibility to find put what is needed to enter a .country

[Virginia100]

1 minute ago, smbt1 said:

Just as with Visa requirements it has always been the passengers responsibility to find put what is needed to enter a .country

If this 6 month vaccination rule sticks and no 4 shot is forthcoming here in the US as it is now, before final payments in April and May for the summer cruises, there is going to be quite a few cancellations….. again. 

[Virginia100]

I went to the Italian Dept of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to read the new regulations. From my reading the expiration pertains to the EU vaccination cards to those whose had the two vaccinations more than 6 months ago as of February. If you get the booster shot there is no expiration period and the cards are good “indefinitely “. Therefore any vaccination card (US) and the EU one with a booster shot is valid without any expiration date. Comments??

[sunlover33]

14 hours ago, upwarduk said:

There will come a time when the booster expires.

That worries me, as I had mine on 6th October. Our cruise is booked for 30.07.22.

Looks like you will be ok for summer 2022 if you are travelling to Italy,  They have confirmed that boosters will have unlimited validity. 
 

 

https://apple.news/AUf5q7ePyRcStk_j5bsfe9A

R

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by sunlover33

[upwarduk]

22 minutes ago, sunlover33 said:

Looks like you will be ok for summer 2022 if you are travelling to Italy,  They have confirmed that boosters will have unlimited validity. 
 

 

https://apple.news/AUf5q7ePyRcStk_j5bsfe9A

R

 

Excellent news.

Thank you.