Does Cunard accept mixed vaccine? Barbados changed their mind and does not accept mixed vaccine now.

[gam888]

On the Cunard website, it does not specifically say it accepts mixed vaccine. If we are considering booking the QE out of Southampton to the Canary Islands in January, we had one dose of Astra Zeneca and one dose of Moderna, are we considered fully vaccinated by the ship and in England?

  

We were considering going on a Royal Caribbean cruise sailing out of Barbados before, they were supposed to accept mixed vaccine and now they are saying they don't any more. It is really frustrating to have all these protocols and requirement changing constantly. 

[broberts]

I believe Barbados accepts mixed mRNA but not AZ / mRNA. 

 

It's not obvious but the information can be found. From https://www.cunard.com/en-us/frequently-asked-questions.sailing-with-confidence.faq440.summary the policy conforms to the UK policy found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19#contents.

 

Question

I am vaccinated with an approved MHRA two-dose vaccine. Do each of the doses need to be of the same vaccine?

Answer

Currently accepted vaccines include

• Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
• Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, including formulations Vaxzevria or Covishield
• Moderna (Spikevax ) vaccine, including formulation Moderna Takeda
• Janssen vaccine.

Regardless of port of embarkation, as per our current policy, where 2 doses of a vaccine are required for a full course, you can:

• mix 2 different types of vaccine from the above list, for example Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna
• have the 2 vaccinations under 2 different approved programs, for example Australia and Japan, UK and USA, France and Canada. However, you must be able to show proof of vaccination for the full course. 

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by broberts

[netpj]

Has Barbados recently changed it's requirements?  As of October, these are the protocols:

https://www.visitbarbados.org/covid-19-travel-guidelines-2021

I cannot seem to find where it says they will no longer accept mixed vaccines?

 

 

[gam888]

This was shown on the protocol sent to my email by Royal Caribbean. I called them and they verified that they don't allow mixed vaccine (If you had Astra Zeneca and Moderna)  to get on the Grandeur of the Seas sailing out of Barbados.

 

Vaccination and Testing Requirements

Vaccination
All guests 12 and older must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before sailing. Only guests with World Health Organization (WHO) approved vaccines may sail. Guests under the age of 12, who are considered fully vaccinated, should follow the guidance for vaccinated guests below. Children with one dose of a vaccine do not count as fully vaccinated for the purpose of our sailing. The only mixed MRNA vaccines accepted are combinations of Pfizer and Moderna.

 

 

[Fouremco]

If I were you, I'd double check with RCI. Although the information sent to you by email is consistent with the information on its website, it possibly pre-dates the recent Barbadian update of October 27th. Additionally, it predates the CDC's recent decision to accept AZ-mRNA mixes. With the constant changes, it's very possible that RCI simply hasn't adjusted its protocols yet, or they haven't amended the website. Either way, it's worth checking again, as Barbados does accept mixed AZ-mRNA vaccinations

 

Here's the most current Barbadian policy on vaccination mixes:

 

For the full booklet on the travel protocols for Barbados: https://issuu.com/visitbarbados/docs/btmi_travel_protocols_update_041021?fr=sYmMyOTQzNTExOTc

 

 

As for Cunard, it will accept as fully vaccinated the completed course of a two-dose Covid-19 vaccination, or the single-dose Janssen Covid 19 vaccine, approved by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency or the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing. The following extract from the MHRA website indicates that an AZ-mRNA mix is approved.

Approved vaccines

You must have had a complete course of one of the following vaccines at least 14 days before you arrive in England:

• Oxford/AstraZeneca
• Pfizer BioNTech
• Moderna
• Janssen (single dose vaccine)
• Sinovac-CoronaVac
• Sinopharm Beijing
• Covaxin

The day you have your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days.

Formulations of these vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, also qualify as approved vaccines.

2 dose vaccines

If you were vaccinated with a 2 dose vaccine, or a combination of them, you must have had both doses to be considered fully vaccinated for travel to the UK.

This applies in all cases, even if you’ve recently recovered from COVID-19 and have natural immunity.

Those who have had COVID-19 and have only had one dose of a 2 dose vaccine must follow the rules for unvaccinated arrivals.

Where 2 doses of a vaccine are required for a full course, you can:

• mix 2 different types of vaccine from the above list, for example Oxford/AstraZeneca and Sinopharm Beijing
• have the 2 vaccinations under 2 different approved programmes, for example Australia and Japan, UK and USA, France and Canada

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/countries-with-approved-covid-19-vaccination-programmes-and-proof-of-vaccination

 

So, you are currently considered by Cunard to be fully vaccinated.

 

[broberts]

14 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

it's very possible that RCI simply hasn't adjusted its protocols yet

 

Until it does, one might be able to fly to Barbados but might still be denied boarding.

[Fouremco]

43 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Until it does, one might be able to fly to Barbados but might still be denied boarding.

Yes, that would be my concern too.