TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin vaccinated Canadians

I don't see any mention of AstraZeneca on the EHAS website. I understand that being vaccinated doesn't affect canadian's entry requirements now, but like everything, this will probably change.I see on the news, a theatre on Broadway is requiring proof of FDA approved vaccination, and AZ isn't on that list. Troubling precedent?

There are only three vaccines that received emergency approval for use in the US and AsrtaZeneca is not one of them...but....SXM is not the US

It is my belief that Canada is now moving away from the Astra Zeneca vaccine for a variety of reasons. There have been production problems with this vaccine almost from the start, especially with the U.S. vaccine production facility in Baltimore, MD. There is also a very remote chance that this vaccine can cause some serious blood clots in some individuals. You may want to check with your ministry of health if you have already received the AZ vaccination. I believe they will now offer you one of the approved vaccines.

The Astra Zenaca is still being used in Canada for the first and second shots by those who want it. It is still approved by Health Canada with no apparent problems here. It is also the chosen vaccine for the UK.

You might want to check into this a bit further, Islandgem. According to the Reuters News Agency, the provinces of Alberta and Ontario reported stopped using the AZ COVID vaccine last month. According to CTV News today, the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is now recommending that those individuals who received the first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should now move forward and try to receive a second COVID vaccine based on mRNA technology (i.e. Pfizer/BioNtech or Moderna).

Not quite....I received my second shot of AZ Tuesday, and my husband is going Monday....

No need to check further. I know exactly the regulations here in Ontario and they are as I stated earlier. There was only a pause of two weeks until approval was granted again by Health Canada. It is considered a safe vaccine . J and J is under scrutiny now for its safety.

Well our two children and our Brother in law to be also had theres.

In addition to the article quoted by Scubaman, here is another one that more fully explores the reasoning behind the changes in recommended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is still a very safe vaccine and the primary one being used by the UK, although with changed age limits. It is also still heavily used by several other countries, such as Australia.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7962365/covid-coronavirus-vaccine-astrazeneca-canada-dose-2-uk/

As the article points out, there are three primary reasons why Canada's NACI has now opted to recommend either Pfizer or Moderna as the choice for the second dose for those who initially got the AZ dose. It is not so much that AZ is not an effective vaccine, but there have been some rare blood-clotting issues.

First, there have been supply issues with AZ, due to the troubled plant in Baltimore. Second, we now have a steady and assured supply of more than enough mRNA vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna to cover all eligible Canadians with two doses. That gives us the luxury of picking which ones to recommend, which also avoids any blood-clotting issues. Third, several studies seem to show that a second shot of either Pfizer or Moderna actually provides a higher level of efficacy for those who initially had the AZ shot.

Initially all of our vaccines were sourced from Europe or India. With increased supply in the USA, combined with reducing demand, it is now possible and more logical for Moderna and Pfizer to fill their Canadian orders by shipping them from their US inventory, rather than from their offshore facilities. Until recently, the US Government did not allow any US-produced vaccines to be shipped elsewhere.

I think eventually the USA and other countries, including St Maarten, will allow those who have received the AZ vaccine to be eligible to enter, even if it is never formally approved by the FDA for domestic use. I suspect this will be part of the negotiations for some type of international agreement for a common and easily-recognized vaccine authentication ("passport") for travellers.