European Union nationals who have been jabbed with two different COVID-19 vaccines can finally travel to the UK without the requirement of quarantine if their country is on the green list.
The decision has been announced by the UK Department for Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care while unfolding the new rules of travel to the country, which will be applied from next month.
“Where two doses of a vaccine are required for a full course, you will be able to mix two different types of vaccine, for example, Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna, have the two vaccinations under two different approved programmes, for example, Australia and Japan, UK and USA, EU and Canada,” the Departments note.
Thus, travellers from EU countries listed in the UK’s green list, who have been vaccinated with the first dose of an AstraZeneca vaccine and the second dose of Pfizer, are now counted as fully vaccinated.
At the same time, the Departments have noted that only four vaccines will continue to be accepted as valid proof of immunity against COVID-19, which are Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson).
Formulations of the same vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, will also be accepted.
The decision means that the citizens of some EU countries, like Hungary, who have been vaccinated with vaccines as Sputnik V, will not be eligible to travel to the UK restriction-free even if the same come from a green country.
On the other hand, EU citizens who have been vaccinated outside the block will have their status as a fully vaccinated person only if the same have been vaccinated from a public health authority in Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan or the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Yet, the Department for Transport notes that up until October 4, those who have received mixed vaccines will be permitted to enter only if the vaccination took place under a UK, EU, USA or UK overseas vaccination programme.
“You must have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England,” it explains.
Among those who have been vaccinated with mixed vaccines against COVID-19 is also the German Chancellor Angela Merkel who received the first dose of AstraZeneca and the second Pfizer.
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The Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services has welcomed the decision, as the country is now listed in the UK’s green category. Commenting on the move, Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie said this is good news, though he pointed out that the Ministry has no information whether Norwegian travellers have been challenged due to mixed vaccination.
“This is good news for those who have been sceptical about accepting dose 2 of a different type of vaccine than the one they received as dose one due to the desire to travel to the UK. Although we are not aware that Norwegian travellers have been challenged due to cross-vaccination, we hope this can lead to even more people being vaccinated with dose two,” the Minister said.
The same Ministry claims that at least 15 EU countries have vaccinated their residents with mixed vaccines, noting that the EU recommends that people with such vaccination be recognised as fully vaccinated.
