Like other cruise-loving Canadians, Michael Tremblay has a case of the mixed dose vaccine blues.
“For my first shot, I got AstraZeneca,” Tremblay told Global News. “My second shot, I went with Moderna.”
According to Tremblay, “the government said ‘Get that first shot in you, whatever shot is available.'”
Though he’s now vaccinated, Tremblay says having mixed-and-matched vaccines is preventing him and his wife from participating in their favourite form of travel.
“We’re seafarers. We love cruising,” Tremblay said.
The couple looked at a Princess cruise and booked it.
Only later did Tremblay find out that Princess Cruise’s Vaccine Policy won’t allow for mixed vector vaccines and mNRA vaccines.
The policy is cleared spelled out on the frequently asked questions (FAQ) portion of the website.
“In accordance with health authority guidance, guests who have received one single dose of a vector vaccine (e.g. AstraZeneca) and one single dose of a mRNA vaccine (e.g. Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna) will not be considered fully vaccinated,” the site states.
It’s a policy that Tremblay and many other Canadians can’t get on board with.
“This has only been an issue for the past couple of weeks,” said Travel Best Bets’ Claire Newell, “that we’ve started to hear that some cruise lines won’t accept mixed doses.”
As one of Global News’ travel advisors, Newell is confident the situation will be cleared up shortly.
“I’m a person who has mixed doses myself; I have AstraZeneca and Moderna. I’m not rushing to get a third dose,” Newell said.
“I do think that as a G7 country, and a well respected one, that the science will speak for itself and the efficacy that has been shown in tests is good for this mix. So I hope that in time it will resolve itself.”
Tremblay also hopes that things will work out. But for now, the West Kelowna man is taking this opportunity to inform the public.
“Getting this message out to the media,” said Tremblay, “I hope that there are some government bodies that are going to hear this and they are going to step up to the plate and have this rectified.”
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