Why are some people unable to travel to the United States even though they are already vaccinated against COVID-19?
Because their injections have not been recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or by the World Health Organization (WHO).
When the United States lifted restrictions on foreign travel in November, it required that adults arriving in the country be fully inoculated with vaccines approved by the FDA or WHO.
Among the most widely used vaccines in the world that do not meet this criterion are the Russian Sputnik V and the Chinese CanSino. Sputnik V is licensed in more than 70 countries, while CanSino is licensed in at least nine.
WHO is still waiting for more data on both vaccines before issuing a decision.
Vaccines recognized by the FDA and WHO undergo a rigorous testing process to determine that they are safe and effective. Among the vaccines used internationally, experts warn that some will most likely not be recognized by both agencies.
“Not all of them will be evaluated in clinical trials with the necessary rigor,” explained Dr. William Moss, executive director of the Johns Hopkins International Vaccine Access Center.
An exception to the American rule is for people who received a full series of the Novavax vaccine in a large study. The United States is accepting participants who received the vaccine, not a placebo, because it was a rigorous study by an independent monitoring board.
The United States also allows the entry of people who received two doses of any combination of vaccines listed by the FDA and WHO.
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