According to the European Commission (EC), people who have been vaccinated twice with AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine should be able to travel to the United States if the restrictions are relaxed, even if the vaccine has not yet been approved by US regulatory agencies. is.
“From our point of view, it makes clear that people vaccinated with AstraZeneca can travel,” EC spokesman Eric Mamer said at a news conference.
“I believe the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe,” Mamer added, but also said the final decision was left to the US authorities.
On September 20, the Biden administration confirmed that it would ease travel restrictions for foreign visitors who had been vaccinated with COVID-19 from November. It has not yet been confirmed which vaccines will be accepted under the new requirements or whether vaccines not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be accepted.
The FDA has previously approved the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer / BioNTech, Modana, Johnson & Johnson, but is considering inoculating AstraZeneca.
Thierry Breton, Commissioner of the European Union (EU) for the domestic market, Told AFP He discussed the issue with Jeff Seiens, COVID-19 coordinator at the White House, who also said that “other vaccines, especially AstraZeneca, will be decided by their health organization.”
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) makes the final decision on the COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for domestic use.
Developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in 27 EU countries with a cumulative total of approximately 70 million doses, according to public data.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “happy” that the Biden administration had resumed its transatlantic trip, allowing fully vaccinated British citizens to visit the United States again.
“It’s a great boost to business and trade, and it’s great to have family and friends on both sides of the pond reunited,” Johnson said. Said..
About 18 months ago, the Trump administration announced that the United States would limit flights from China, most of Europe, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and other countries in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
These restrictions were intact when Biden took office in January 2021, and the White House announced in July that it would retain the restrictions imposed by the Delta variant.
For months, airlines and airline groups have urged the Biden administration to lift restrictions as European and British officials relaxed immigration regulations for US travelers.
Jack Phillips and Reuters contributed to this report.
from NTD News
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