Mixed Vaccines

[ladysail2]

On 10/17/2021 at 12:12 PM, wetcoast said:

There is a place at YVR that is $130, they say results in 5 minutes. Hate paying so much knowing its $20 in Alberta and Ontario.

Could someone mail you a kit from Alberta or Ontario?  Would that be allowed?  Or does an Ontario or Alberta kit have to be processed in its respective Province? 

[ladysail2]

On 10/16/2021 at 10:34 AM, K_e_short said:

 

Do you have to be a member to access that Costco testing?

The reason I ask is I remember hearing some flexiblity when it comes to medication. pharmacy, etc. but I may be wrong.

 

I don’t know about Covid testing, but just for reference, one does not have to a member to use the pharmacy for prescription service, or to have one’s hearing tested.  These services are not owned by Costco.  Unless their policy changed, of course.  They changed their policy about buying the fast food..ice cream cones, hot dogs, etc…..one has to be a member…unless they’ve changed that policy back to what it was.

[K_e_short]

46 minutes ago, ladysail2 said:

I don’t know about Covid testing, but just for reference, one does not have to a member to use the pharmacy for prescription service, or to have one’s hearing tested.  These services are not owned by Costco.  Unless their policy changed, of course.  They changed their policy about buying the fast food..ice cream cones, hot dogs, etc…..one has to be a member…unless they’ve changed that policy back to what it was.

 Good to know. I remember hearing something about that during Covid but wasn't sure if it was during lockdowns or a change of policy.

 

Luckily it sounds like Walmart has jumped on board with covid testing so the price has gone down.

[paf225]

On 10/16/2021 at 8:50 PM, mikenbon said:

I've already booked my antigen test at YLW ready for my Feb cruise on carnival Magic. What a huge difference in price between us and the US! 

I was just searching for alternatives in Kelowna yesterday and found LifeLabs which seems to have recently started offering a number of testing options in B.C.  It appears to operate mainly out of Shoppers Drug Mart locations including one on Kane Road in Kelowna.  They charge $60.00 + tax for a rapid antigen test which is half the cost of what the outfit at YLW charges.  Regards,  Paul

 

Predeparture – LifeLabs 

[mikenbon]

6 hours ago, paf225 said:

I was just searching for alternatives in Kelowna yesterday and found LifeLabs which seems to have recently started offering a number of testing options in B.C.  It appears to operate mainly out of Shoppers Drug Mart locations including one on Kane Road in Kelowna.  They charge $60.00 + tax for a rapid antigen test which is half the cost of what the outfit at YLW charges.  Regards,  Paul

 

Predeparture – LifeLabs 

Thank you! I'm definitely going to look into this. One SDM website shows $199 +tax, and another shows it's $150 + tax. I'd much rather pay $60 plus tax, and it's closer to my home than the airport. 
I appreciate your help, thanks again. 

[scottbee]

Here is the magic paragraph from the CDC regarding mixed vaccinations; stating that all mixes are OK; with a minimum of 17 days between doses

 

 

CDC has not recommended the use of heterologous (i.e., mix-and-match) primary series. However, the use of such strategies (including mixing of mRNA, adenoviral, and mRNA plus adenoviral products) is increasingly common in many countries outside of the United States. Therefore, for the purposes of interpretation of vaccination records, individuals can be considered fully vaccinated ≥2 weeks after receipt of the last dose if they have received any single dose of an FDA approved/authorized or WHO EUL approved single-dose series (i.e., Janssen), or any combination of two doses of an FDA approved/authorized or WHO emergency use listed COVID-19 two-dose series.  The recommended interval between the first and second doses of FDA-approved/authorized and WHO-EUL listed vaccines varies by vaccine type. However, for purposes of interpretation of vaccine records, the second dose in a two dose heterologous series must have been received no earlier than 17 days (21 days with a 4 day grace period) after the first dose.  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html#annex

 

[AlbertaCruisers]

Celebrity's FAQs now says this:

 

For ALL sailings, including US and Global Departures, the CDC will now recognize a mixed series of any two of the following vaccines, with a minimum of 28 days between doses, as fully vaccinated:

• Pfizer
• Moderna
• Johnson & Johnson,
• AstraZeneca
• Sinovac
• Sinopharm

 

• Guests who received the Janssen (aka Johnson & Johnson) vaccine before or after another COVID-19 vaccine should be considered to have received a valid, single-dose Janssen vaccination—not a mixed vaccination series—and are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
• To be recognized as fully vaccinated, guests 12 years of age and older, must complete a vaccine series with the last dose administered at least 14 days prior to sailing.
• Some ports of call may not accept mixed vaccines and therefore could prevent guests with mixed vaccines from going ashore. 

[scottbee]

7 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

Celebrity's FAQs now says this:

 

For ALL sailings, including US and Global Departures, the CDC will now recognize a mixed series of any two of the following vaccines, with a minimum of 28 days between doses, as fully vaccinated:

• Pfizer
• Moderna
• Johnson & Johnson,
• AstraZeneca
• Sinovac
• Sinopharm

 

• Guests who received the Janssen (aka Johnson & Johnson) vaccine before or after another COVID-19 vaccine should be considered to have received a valid, single-dose Janssen vaccination—not a mixed vaccination series—and are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
• To be recognized as fully vaccinated, guests 12 years of age and older, must complete a vaccine series with the last dose administered at least 14 days prior to sailing.
• Some ports of call may not accept mixed vaccines and therefore could prevent guests with mixed vaccines from going ashore. 

 

Interesting they're looking for minimum 28 days, as opposed to the 17 that the CDC want.

 

[tert333]

48 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

Celebrity's FAQs now says this:

 

For ALL sailings, including US and Global Departures, the CDC will now recognize a mixed series of any two of the following vaccines, with a minimum of 28 days between doses, as fully vaccinated:

• Pfizer
• Moderna
• Johnson & Johnson,
• AstraZeneca
• Sinovac
• Sinopharm

 

• Guests who received the Janssen (aka Johnson & Johnson) vaccine before or after another COVID-19 vaccine should be considered to have received a valid, single-dose Janssen vaccination—not a mixed vaccination series—and are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
• To be recognized as fully vaccinated, guests 12 years of age and older, must complete a vaccine series with the last dose administered at least 14 days prior to sailing.
• Some ports of call may not accept mixed vaccines and therefore could prevent guests with mixed vaccines from going ashore. 

Thanks for posting.  Looks like Celebrity is the first to post!  Looks like we are good to go!

 

Just checked RCL and it still has the old wording.

[gnome12]

3 hours ago, scottbee said:

 

Interesting they're looking for minimum 28 days, as opposed to the 17 that the CDC want.

 

Considering that the Pfizer vaccinations (I think it was Pfizer, but maybe Moderna) were tested at a 3 week interval, that may be a problem for some Americans. I don't think any Canadians managed to get their 2 doses at that interval.

[scottbee]

6 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Considering that the Pfizer vaccinations (I think it was Pfizer, but maybe Moderna) were tested at a 3 week interval, that may be a problem for some Americans. I don't think any Canadians managed to get their 2 doses at that interval.

Oh the delicious irony that Canadians with mixed vaccines are considered fully vaxxed, but potentially an American with a 14day Pfizer/Pfizer wouldn't be.   I can't see that staying in place..

 

[MamatoJack]

So now I have to worry because my son get his second Pfizer at 24 days? It is 21 days for Pfizer, so why wouldn't they accept that? Doesn't make sense.

[gnome12]

3 hours ago, scottbee said:

Oh the delicious irony that Canadians with mixed vaccines are considered fully vaxxed, but potentially an American with a 14day Pfizer/Pfizer wouldn't be.   I can't see that staying in place..

 

I'm sure that the cruise lines will all move to the CDC rules (17 days). It just might take them all a while to get there.

[AlbertaCruisers]

The above is only for mixed. They don’t have any timing in the earlier FAQ if you have two of the same vaccines. Here is the wording fir same vaccines. 
 

Vaccines that are fully approved or authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO) are accepted.  Sputnik V and CanSino are not accepted Covid-19 vaccines. U.S. Based AstraZeneca and Novavax clinical trial participants are also considered fully vaccinated. US participants in COVID-19 vaccine trials can be considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after they complete the vaccine series, if it has been confirmed that they received “active” vaccine, and not placebo.   Please be aware that certain countries we sail from or visit during a voyage may require a specific vaccine, and only those travelers vaccinated with the requisite vaccine will be considered fully vaccinated. Be sure to review your departure country's requirements or consult our guest materials prior to sailing for these requirements. 

 

[wetcoast]

18 hours ago, paf225 said:

I was just searching for alternatives in Kelowna yesterday and found LifeLabs which seems to have recently started offering a number of testing options in B.C.  It appears to operate mainly out of Shoppers Drug Mart locations including one on Kane Road in Kelowna.  They charge $60.00 + tax for a rapid antigen test which is half the cost of what the outfit at YLW charges.  Regards,  Paul

 

Predeparture – LifeLabs 

Where are you seeing availability in BC? The $60 test looks like Ontario only

[paf225]

4 hours ago, wetcoast said:

Where are you seeing availability in BC? The $60 test looks like Ontario only

You are correct.  The initial mention of the $60.00 rapid antigen test on their website doesn't specify it's only available in Ontario but when you go further down the page it mentions it as a note.  I contacted their Kelowna outlet and they confirmed they are not carrying out any rapid antigen tests yet.  Sorry for the hopeful but inaccurate info.

[scottbee]

There's a separate  thread here in the Canadian forum just for the discussion of where to get tested, might be worth sharing information there, so there's just a single place people can look.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2800019-covid-19-testing-locations-and-prices-in-canada/

 

[Beyond the Sea]

Royal Caribbean has updated their policy:  https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-vaccines-are-accepted

 

Does anyone know where I check the vaccine policies for the different islands, specifically St. Maarten?  I found Bahamas but I’m curious about St.  Maarten and St. Thomas.

[latebuyer]

I found this on st. Maarten

 

https://www.st-martin.org/us/covid-19/terms-and-conditions-of-travel?dt=1634760202924

 

They don’t specify that i can see.

[broberts]

46 minutes ago, christinand said:

I found this on st. Maarten

 

https://www.st-martin.org/us/covid-19/terms-and-conditions-of-travel?dt=1634760202924

 

They don’t specify that i can see.

 

The site is for St Martin, the French side. Cruise ships typically dock on the st Maarten, Dutch side.

[latebuyer]

Sorry. Is this St. Maarten then?

 

https://stmaartenehas.com/travel-requirements/

 

I don't think they accept mixed vaccines.

[brontravel]

On 10/19/2021 at 6:05 PM, scottbee said:

Oh the delicious irony that Canadians with mixed vaccines are considered fully vaxxed, but potentially an American with a 14day Pfizer/Pfizer wouldn't be.   I can't see that staying in place..

 

That timeline is only for mixed doses. 

[Russ Lomas]

On 10/16/2021 at 1:13 PM, Tomchick1970 said:

Was your experience good getting tested at Pearson airport?  We are traveling to Fort Lauderdale two days before the Cruise, If I get tested the day before it will be expired on cruise day, so I'm thinking the best route would be to test day of flight at Pearson.  The price at Pearson sucks, especially with Walmart pricing now at $20.  We could try to get tested at CVS or Walgreens when we arrive but that is just another extra headache.

Getting tested at Pearson was dead easy.  It was actually done in a parking lot garage at Pearson in the stairwell (sounds weird, but was fine and set up well).  They open at 5 am, so we were there when they opened since we had an 8 am flight that morning and wanted to ensure we had the results in time for our flight (we needed them to board the plane back in August).  After our tests, we went to our vehicle, drove 5 minutes to McDonald's for breakfast and got our results while we were still in the parking lot waiting for McDonald's to open) - fast and easy.  Not sure if it gets busier later on, but you can make reservations for your test time.  If you opt for drop in, you are taking chances.  Since you no longer will need this to fly to the US starting November 8th though, I would check to ensure they are still offering the services after the 8th, assuming that is when you are flying.  Have a great trip.  Our trip was incredible in August.

[armwinder]

22 minutes ago, Russ Lomas said:

Getting tested at Pearson was dead easy.  It was actually done in a parking lot garage at Pearson in the stairwell (sounds weird, but was fine and set up well).  They open at 5 am, so we were there when they opened since we had an 8 am flight that morning and wanted to ensure we had the results in time for our flight (we needed them to board the plane back in August).  After our tests, we went to our vehicle, drove 5 minutes to McDonald's for breakfast and got our results while we were still in the parking lot waiting for McDonald's to open) - fast and easy.  Not sure if it gets busier later on, but you can make reservations for your test time.  If you opt for drop in, you are taking chances.  Since you no longer will need this to fly to the US starting November 8th though, I would check to ensure they are still offering the services after the 8th, assuming that is when you are flying.  Have a great trip.  Our trip was incredible in August.

I thought we still needed a test to fly even after November 8th.  

[Russ Lomas]

2 minutes ago, armwinder said:

I thought we still needed a test to fly even after November 8th.  

They need to clarify that still.  You will not need one to enter the US via land or by sea, so they were predicting that it would be dropped for air travel as well, so the policy was consistent.  Last I heard they had not publicly said if it would still be needed for flights, but that was about a week ago.  I am sure they will clarify this in the next week or two, if they have not done so already.  It would be silly to require one to fly in but not to drive in.