Ontario pushing feds to ensure people who received mixed vaccines can travel internationally
Ontario has asked the federal government to ensure Canadians who received mixed COVID-19 vaccines will be recognized for international travel as border measures lift.
Health Minister Christine Elliott and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones wrote to Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and other officials on Sunday about the issue.
"We ask the Government of Canada to work with the WHO to update its guidance to international partners that mixing vaccines should be internationally accepted as a complete vaccine regimen," they wrote.
Ontario and other provinces have offered residents the option of taking one shot each of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines or an mRNA shot after a first of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines. Provinces offered the mixed option this year as country grappled with a shifting incoming vaccine supply schedule and concerns over a rare but serious blood clot linked to the AstraZeneca shot.
The ministers wrote that it's critical for "the integrity and confidence" in Canada's and Ontario's vaccination programs that people who "have done the right thing" by taking doses of two different vaccines are considered immunized abroad.
"As the federal government opens international travel, we believe these Ontarians should also be considered `fully immunized' by other countries both at international borders and in their activities within those jurisdictions," they said.
They argue that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Authority, should be seen as valid internationally "on any certificate or passport." That shot listed for emergency use by the WHO.
The letter notes that some European Union countries are using a similar mixed-dose approach to vaccination and said Ontario is looking forward to the outcome of conversations with those countries and with the United States.
The ministers also raised the issue of border measures for international travellers as the country plans to loosen some travel restrictions aimed at limiting COVID-19 spread.
Ottawa announced last week that fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents will be allowed into Canada without a 14-day quarantine as of Aug. 9. Eligible travellers in other parts of the world will be permitted to enter without quarantine on Sept. 7.
The rules apply to people who have received a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada.
Jones and Elliott wrote to Ottawa on "the importance of ensuring effective measures at the border for those who are not yet fully immunized," and asked for "enforced and effective" quarantine rules for non-vaccinated travellers coming into the country.
They also asked for a consistent approach to international travel across land, air and water borders and at all points of entry.
Ontario reported 119 COVID-19 cases on Monday and three deaths from the virus.
Eighty per cent of adults in Ontario have at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 67 per cent are fully vaccinated.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Pro-Palestinian protesters demand endowment transparency. But it's proving not to be simple
Over the last decade, students have pushed universities to cut financial ties with fossil fuel producers, weapons manufacturers, tobacco companies and prison firms. Here's why it's not always that simple.