When distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines began, travel industry leaders knew it was only a matter of time before vaccination became a game changer for tourism. This proved to be true, as many destinations have implemented more relaxed rules specifically for vaccinated visitors. But now, there’s a new hiccup that the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) says is hurting the restart of international travel: a lack of reciprocal recognition of all approved COVID-19 vaccines.
Last week, WTTC issued a warning stating the potential damaging effects of countries not coming together to create a common list of internationally recognized and approved inoculations. Its warning came just days after British travelers were denied entry into Malta for having received India’s Covishield batch of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
“The failure of countries to agree on a common list of all approved and recognized vaccines is of huge concern to WTTC, as we know every day travel is curbed, more cash-strapped travel and tourism businesses face even greater strain, pushing ever more to the brink of bankruptcy,” said Virginia Messina, senior vice president of WTTC, in a statement. “We can avoid [these issues] by having a fully recognized list of all the approved vaccines — and vaccine batches — which should be the key to unlocking international travel, not the door to preventing it.”
While the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Europe has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the same shot produced at an Indian factory is not recognized on the continent. According to the Associated Press, EU regulators say this discrepancy is the result of AstraZeneca not completing the necessary paperwork on the Indian factory, which would provide details on its production practices and quality control standards. Others believe the EU is being discriminatory, considering that the World Health Organization (WHO) has inspected and approved the Indian facilities.
We can avoid [these issues] by having a fully recognized list of all the approved vaccines — and vaccine batches — which should be the key to unlocking international travel, not the door to preventing it.
As of press time, the EMA has only approved vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and the European-manufactured version of AstraZeneca. Beyond the Indian-made shots of AstraZeneca, EMA has also not given its seal of approval to other vaccines made in developing nations, as well as those from China and Russia.
Vaccine approval is just one puzzle piece in the already complex world of navigating COVID-19 travel restrictions and requirements. Just last week, several cruise lines updated their health and safety protocols to exclude those who have received mixed vaccination shots.
Holland America Line (HAL), Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line have all released new guidance stating that passengers who have received one dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/Moderna) plus one dose of a vector vaccine like AstraZeneca will not be considered fully vaccinated. The designation between vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers is an important one as several cruise lines have required that all of their passengers be fully vaccinated prior to sailing.
According to the new guidelines for HAL, Princess and Carnival, passengers with different doses of two mRNA vaccines are considered fully vaccinated. Norwegian Cruise Line, on the other hand, has taken a different approach, dubbing all passengers with mixed shots, regardless of the type, as not fully vaccinated. This rule only applies for U.S. ports of embarkation.
This stance from major cruise operators puts Canadian and British travelers in a particularly difficult situation. While vaccine mixing is not common nor approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S., the practice is fairly common in the U.K. and Canada, as well as other countries.
According to WTTC, reports are on the rise of travelers being turned away at the border of their destination or even being denied boarding on their plane. This is why Messina and WTTC are advocating for an international standard for acceptable vaccines.
Creating this international list of approved inoculations is just one of four steps that WTTC has outlined as part of its plan for safe international travel. The other steps include: “a data driven, risk-based and internationally harmonized approach to re-establishing freedom of movement;” “global adoption of ‘digital health passes’ which enable travelers to easily obtain and verify their vaccination status, negative COVID-19 test result or natural immunity from a previous infection;” and “continued implementation of high-quality health and safety standards throughout all areas of the travel and tourism sector.”
“[Implementing these steps] will also give holiday makers and travelers the confidence they need to book trips, flights and cruises, confident in the knowledge that their fully vaccinated status will be internationally recognized,” Messina said.
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World Travel & Tourism Council
