There’s evidence that suggests immunity from vaccines wane within six months after the second dose. England’s NHS COVID pass will now include booster shot information. Travelers from England can now show proof if they received a third dose of the COVID19 vaccine. This will allow them entry to certain countries that introduced a time limit for the COVID19 vaccine. This includes countries such as Israel, Croatia, and Austria.
Croatia was the first country to announce a maximum validity for the COVID19 vaccine. In Croatia, travelers are only considered fully vaccinated up to 270 days.
Israel, on the other hand, considers COVID19 vaccine valid only for 6 months. For Austria, two-dose COVID19 vaccines will only be valid for nine months. And for travelers who received Johnson & Johnson entering Austria, they will have to show proof that they received a booster shot to be considered fully vaccinated.
NHS COVID Pass Includes Booster Shot Information
There are already 13 million booster and third vaccines administered in the UK. According to the health and social care secretary Sajid Javid, “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to show their vaccine status if they are traveling abroad”.
He added that “This update to the NHS COVID pass will mean people can have their complete medical picture at their fingertips if they are going on holiday or seeing loved ones overseas”.
Javid also calls booster shots the best defense against the virus while encouraging those eligible to get a top-up jab.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowed mix-and-match booster shots last month. Around 17% of the US population took booster shots. And on Friday, the FDA authorized the use of booster shots for both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for adults. This means that those who received Pfizer or Moderna COVID19 vaccines from at least six months ago are now eligible for a booster shot.
