by: elizabeth payne
louise jacob and rémi guertin have big travel plans after the pandemic, but now those plans are uncertain because jacob, like many canadians, received two different doses of covid-19 vaccines.
because she received astrazeneca first and then moderna, jacob, 64, is not considered fully vaccinated internationally. nor is she considered fully vaccinated with the two cruise companies the couple is booked with for 2022. that is despite the fact that some studies have shown better protection against covid-19 when doses are mixed.
that means the carlsbad springs couple’s pandemic-delayed cruises — one scheduled for january 2022 and the other for next summer — are now in doubt.
so is travel to the house they own in florida, for the same reason. the couple returned to ontario in a hurry in march 2020 as the pandemic began. the snowbirds would normally go to florida in october for the winter, but it is unlikely they will be able to this year.
“we don’t know if we would be allowed to enter the united states,” said guertin, 73, who did not receive mixed doses of vaccine.
jacob is not alone. thousands of canadians received different doses of vaccines, on the advice of the national advisory committee on immunization (naci), and public health officials.