As Europe deals with another surge, the European Union proposed to have a limit to the validity of the COVID19 vaccines. This will require fully vaccinated individuals to get booster shots. This week, the European Commission said that it is considering a “standard acceptance period of 9 months for vaccination certificates issued following the completion of the primary vaccination series”. This proposal would’ve applied to non-EU travelers too.
The call for booster shots is even louder now that there’s the omicron COVID19 variant. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association representing world airlines recommended the extension of the validity of the European Union Digital COVID Certificate to 12 months instead of just 9 months.
IATA Questions COVID Booster Timeline
IATA argued that there is a logistics issue. Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe said that “If booster shots are mandated to maintain the validity of the DCC, it is vital that states harmonize their approach to the length of time allowed between the point of full vaccination and administering the additional dose”.
He added that “The nine months proposed by the Commission could be insufficient”. IATA suggests that the EU should delay the requirement until all the European Union states are already offering booster jabs.
Last summer, some European countries already announced a maximum validity period for their COVID19 vaccine certificates. Croatia requires travelers to have completed their vaccine doses no more than nine months before arrival. However, Croatia later extended it to a year. Both Switzerland and Austria have a one-year limit to the validity of the vaccine certificates.
Schvartzman said that EU’s nine-month validity proposal “creates many potential problems”. According to Schvartzman, the world should focus on giving initial doses to the unvaccinated population.
Vaccine Recognition
Aside from booster doses, IATA also raised concerns regarding the type of vaccines non-EU travelers have. Travelers who received non-EU-approved vaccines will have to present a negative pre-departure PCR test. According to IATA, this will “discourage travel from many parts of the world where infection rates are low”.
Schvartzman said that “Governments should prioritize policies that are simple, predictable, and practical”. He also added that “discriminating among vaccines that have been approved by the WHO is a waste of resources and an unnecessary barrier to people’s freedom to travel”.
