Blame it on Springsteen. Panic and anger developed last week among some Canadians who took Ottawa’s advice to ‘get the first vaccine available,’ when reports surfaced that even those fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine were being turned away from U.S. events.
The ‘testy’ situation began with reports of a B.C local politician who reported he wouldn’t be permitted to attend ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ in NYC because only those fully vaccinated with the mRNA shots (Pfizer and Moderna) or the single dose required of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine would be allowed into the venue.
It was quickly revealed in Canadian media reports that a number of venues in the States are only accepting attendees fully vaccinated with shots that have been approved by the American FDA. Right now, that doesn’t include AstraZeneca. As CBC reports, “While AstraZeneca shots are made at some U.S. facilities, the FDA has never approved it for use in the American marketplace.”
To be clear, this doesn’t prevent AZ-vaxxed Canadians from actually travelling to the U.S. There’s no requirement at the moment to prove vaccination to enter the country. U.S. air arrivals - even if fully vaccinated - must show proof of a negative COVID test or natural immunity through recovery from the virus, before boarding a flight to the U.S. And as recently as the end of MAY, President Joe Biden has said the U.S. would not require vaccine passports.
In an attempt to dispel the outrage, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - who himself got the AZ shot - addressed the subject late Friday, saying Ottawa is “working with the U.S. and other international partners to ensure that AstraZeneca vaccine recipients face few barriers when they travel abroad."
"We will definitely make sure that people who got one or two AstraZeneca doses will not be disadvantaged when they want to travel," he is reported telling reporters in French.
"We hope to be able to resolve those issues in the coming weeks in time for bringing in loosened restrictions around travel. The U.S. hasn't said yet what their criteria will be. We're working with them to get on the same page."
So Trudeau will now tell the US who they can accept or not accept into the US?
Now that’s a joke!