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Would you get one of the first vaccines if it meant you could travel internationally?

Would you get one of the early covid vaccines if required to travel internationally in 2021?

  • Yes, can't wait to travel again

    Votes: 17 53.1%
  • No, will wait at least 6 months after approvals to see if long-term effects emerge

    Votes: 8 25.0%
  • Maybe, by around middle of 2021, we will see what the state of travel and the pandemic is first.

    Votes: 7 21.9%

  • Total voters
    32

Tony da Roma

10+ Posts
There are reports of possible Emergency Use Authorization or EUA by the FDA of one or more vaccines by early November.

The first groups offered vaccines would be health care workers and vulnerable groups -- elderly or those with comorbidities.

Then the expectation is that in the first quarter or half of 2021, vaccines would start to be rolled out to a wider population.

We've seen how stringent the EU has been with entry requirements for tourism this past summer. For instance, no Americans.

If they raised an "immunity passport" requirement, some documentation to show that you have been vaccinated for covid, would you get vaccinated in early 2021 in order to be able to travel internationally in 2021?

For context, vaccines typically take years to develop. For instance, Sanofi took almost 20 years to develop a vaccine for Dengue Fever and started rolling it out in the Philippines a few years ago. After a year of vaccinating almost 1 million youth there, it was discovered that the vaccine could have adverse effects including the deaths of several hundred children for those who had never had Dengue Fever before vaccination.

Sanofi had to change the requirement so that only those who previously had Dengue Fever could get the vaccine, which would prevent more severe reinfections but only for those previously exposed to the virus.

After that change, the EU and then the US FDA gave formal approvals.
 
I think enough public health experts including Dr. Fauci will weigh in and the data from the vaccine trials should be widely available.

Of course I can't wait to get back to traveling either.

Don't know if countries will require vaccination but they're currently requiring negative tests days before travel and even then they're imposing quarantines. Or in the case of the EU, no Americans this year.
 
We are so lucky to be living in England now because currently we can travel to most places in Europe. We have to quarantine for 14 days on return from some, but at least we can travel.

I’ve never had a flu vaccine (and I am in my 60s) and I don’t think I will rush for a Covid vaccine. I really don’t know what to do about this.
 
You forgot to include the option :

O Don't intend to get the vaccine, and will travel anyway
....which is what I would choose.

If travel was that important to me, I would adapt to the new normal and construct my travel plans accordingly, without the vaccine. As it is, I personally can wait til the worldwide situation improves. And when it does, I will be boarding the plane and entering Italy without having taken the vaccine - as long as I am allowed, of course.
 
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You forgot to include the option :

O Don't intend to get the vaccine, and will travel anyway
....which is what I would choose.

If travel was that important to me, I would adapt to the new normal and construct my travel plans accordingly, without the vaccine. As it is, I personally can wait til the worldwide situation improves. And when it does, I will be boarding the plane and entering Italy without having taken the vaccine - as long as I am allowed, of course.

Again it depends on what the popular destination countries do.

The EU countries have shown they will impose stringent measures, no matter how much their tourism economy has suffered.

So the premise was if proof of vaccination was required, would you get vaccinated to be able to visit some countries.
 
I would get an early vaccine in order to travel with the proviso that it is approved by the FDA without political interference/pressure (i.e. trump's thumb on the scale). If the FDA's approval process is clean and follows clearly established protocols, then there is no reason to wait. However, right now, I don't have confidence that will happen, but I'll wait and see what the medical science experts have to say about the testing and the final results. There should be a compelling consensus of opinion, with little to no reason for a debate on the approval.
 
So the premise was if proof of vaccination was required, would you get vaccinated to be able to visit some countries.

In that case, the answer is still no, and neither of the options are relevant for me. Even before Corona, I never travelled to foreign countries if that entailed getting vaccinations of any kind. There's a limit to what I am willing to do for travel's sake, and there are (for practical purposes) an infinite amount of places in the world that I can travel to without this type of restriction. Of course, the world might go crazy and there might be international agreements in the future that will make a Corona vaccination compulsory for any foreign travel - but from what I'm seeing in the rush to restart travel in the world, this is not likely to happen ... at least I hope not!
 
In that case, the answer is still no, and neither of the options are relevant for me. Even before Corona, I never travelled to foreign countries if that entailed getting vaccinations of any kind. There's a limit to what I am willing to do for travel's sake, and there are (for practical purposes) an infinite amount of places in the world that I can travel to without this type of restriction. Of course, the world might go crazy and there might be international agreements in the future that will make a Corona vaccination compulsory for any foreign travel - but from what I'm seeing in the rush to restart travel in the world, this is not likely to happen ... at least I hope not!

One major difference, not only will a vaccine be a prerequisite to travel abroad, but also necessary domestically just to get back to a sense of normal.
 
One major difference, not only will a vaccine be a prerequisite to travel abroad, but also necessary domestically just to get back to a sense of normal.

Hard to say at this point. If enough people choose to get vaccinated - the most likely scenario - then the rate of illness will hopefully drop, the outcome being less pressure on hospitals. Once the fear of a possible collapse of medical services has subsided, Corona just might become another "routine" medical problem that has to be dealt with, just like complications of the flu. In this case, there should be no reason to make the vaccine compulsory. People who feel at risk will choose to take it. IAC being vaccinated does not mean you can't transmit illnesses like the flu - it just reduces somewhat the risk of developing severe symptoms.

A "sense of normal" for me personally does not include getting a vaccine to do routine things. And what is "normal" anymore, when even before Corona there are places in the world where people go out with masks in a routine manner? Or when you have to take off your shoes for inspection before boarding a plane?
 
If a vaccine was required for travel to France next spring, I would go ahead and get one. There's always a certain amount of risk with any vaccine even if it's approved after extensive testing. Back when I was in the military I remember getting a vaccine for things I had never heard of. When I got my yellow fever vaccine I had to go look it up because I had never heard of yellow fever. I'm 65 now and I haven't had any long term problems as far as I know :)
 
I'm pretty sure that they've now linked those vaccines to subsequent internet board addiction problems. o_O

As for taking the COVID vaccine as soon as it is put out.... well, I think I'll give it a year. Hopefully, I can cross to Canada & visit Montreal/Quebec City without one and just put off Europe a year.
 
I'd get vaccinated if our public health authorities offer it, in the interests of safely developing herd immunity. Travel plans don't really come into it for me - who knows what rules different countries would apply, or how things might develop? There's still much to learn about whether and how the virus is now or will be mutating.
 
We are so lucky to be living in England now because currently we can travel to most places in Europe. We have to quarantine for 14 days on return from some, but at least we can travel.

I’ve never had a flu vaccine (and I am in my 60s) and I don’t think I will rush for a Covid vaccine. I really don’t know what to do about this.
We get the flu vaccine every year and have already taken it this month. I've had the flu before and felt like I was dying!
 
Europe new infection rates are off the charts. Probably higher in some countries or some provinces than the US states over the summer.

I saw one report that over half of Germany's new infections over the summer were imported. I don't know if that only means visitors infected local residents or if it includes Germans who went on holiday to other European countries and brought the infection with them and spread it to local residents.

But the fallout from all this may be more restrictive travel policies next spring and summer unless safe and effective vaccines have started being deployed.

UK seems to be well-advanced into final trials for the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine candidate while the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine candidate (the latter a smaller German company) seems to be in a similar stage in Germany.

As of last week, the Pfizer vaccine candidate has not completed enrollment of their target number (44,000) in their US trials.
 
But the fallout from all this may be more restrictive travel policies next spring and summer unless safe and effective vaccines have started being deployed.

I've been thinking about what travel could possibly look like in another year, and my outlook on this is :

1) I don't think that any western country will try to go the way of "herd immunity". The estimated deaths and sickness from this would be too hard to handle, both psychologically and from the aspect of medical services not being able to handle the situation.
2) I don't have high hopes for an efficient and safe vaccine. My assumption is that something as effective as a flu vaccine - 40-50% - will be available at some point. Not the ultimate cure, but something that might lessen the pressure on hospitals, to the same extent that the flu vaccine does.
3) There will still be a lot of people who will not want to take the vaccine, for different reasons. Even today, in spite of declared goals of wanting 75% of Western populations to take the flu vaccine, the levels are only around 40% on average, I believe.
4) If the above will be true, it will be difficult to make the vaccine mandatory.

All this brings me to some fairly simple conclusions with regards travel :
1) We're going to have to travel in a world that has Covid lurking almost everywhere, just like other sicknesses.
2) Your best vaccine is maintaining a healthy routine - so if you do get infected, you might be asymptomatic at best, or have mild symptoms at worse. If you are satisfied with your health, make an extra effort where you have been lax. If you haven't maintained a healthy routine, today is a great time to start.
3) If travel is important to you, then just adapt :
Go to the more secluded places, and keep away from crowds, especially indoors but also outside.
If you really want to go to a market or museum, there are always the "slow" days and "slow" hours to do so, when they are less populated.
Wash your hands more often, and wear a mask if getting close to people you don't know.
Get used to the fact that you aren't going to experience travel the same way you did before Covid, and make the best of the situation.

Until now I couldn't see my wife and I adapting to this reality, but now I believe that it is either adapt or stay home. And since the latter at some point will make the longing for travel a bit too hard, better to start the psychological adjustment right now - if you really want to go, then just go ahead and plan accordingly.
 
Until now I couldn't see my wife and I adapting to this reality, but now I believe that it is either adapt or stay home. And since the latter at some point will make the longing for travel a bit too hard, better to start the psychological adjustment right now - if you really want to go, then just go ahead and plan accordingly.
Sadly, I agree with this. I posted earlier in this thread that I wouldn't get the vaccine. However, I wouldn't be surprised if many countries required proof of it in order to enter.
 
Sadly, I agree with this. I posted earlier in this thread that I wouldn't get the vaccine. However, I wouldn't be surprised if many countries required proof of it in order to enter.

Several places are considering requiring a negative PCR test result, done no more than 48 or 72 hours before arrival.

They are requesting documentation of these test results and/or quarantines for people arriving.

So it's certainly conceivable that they could require proof of vaccination as well.
 
2) Your best vaccine is maintaining a healthy routine - so if you do get infected, you might be asymptomatic at best, or have mild symptoms at worse. If you are satisfied with your health, make an extra effort where you have been lax. If you haven't maintained a healthy routine, today is a great time to start.
I agree that it's a good idea to try to keep generally healthy to ward off any type of illness but the equation if you are (young) fit and healthy you won't get seriously ill or die from Covid-19 just isn't true, unfortunately. Read various news stories and experiences, talk to people who've had it, or their surviving relatives, it's just not that simple. Existing bad health could make it worse but the opposite doesn't follow. I'm not paranoid about it but just don't want to risk getting it.
3) If travel is important to you, then just adapt :
Go to the more secluded places, and keep away from crowds, especially indoors but also outside.
Yet I agree with a lot of what you say and indeed have been cautiously traveling for over a month. We live in the north of Italy so we spent five nights in Sinalunga to visit Arezzo, Pienza, Cortona ecc, then down to San Felice Circeo for some sea air and to visit Gaeta, Sperlonga. Then we went to Caserta for a very slow visit to the Reggia and Gardens. The plan was then to go to Naples and Amalfi coast. Instead, cases in the area, which has a high population density, were rising too much for our liking, and probably underestimated, so after a few days in an almost totally deserted Vieste in Gargano we are now in Trani.
We have only stayed in Airbnb type accommodation, with a little extra but not manic disinfection when we arrive. We haven't eaten in a restaurant but had a takeaway pizza every evening in Caserta and one take away lunch from a place we already knew here in Trani. We haven't even had coffee at a bar and are wary of crowded places even outside and totally avoid them inside, but here in Puglia where cases are lower we have been to the open air markets for fresh produce.
So yes we are still travelling, but very cautiously I would say, we're only really planning four or five days ahead so we are able to react quickly if the situation changes. Considering everything it's great to be able to travel at all. Even if I were to stay at home I could not reduce my risk to zero. It's actually easier to wear a mask with people you don't know then when stopping to chat to your nextdoor neighbour over the fence. So yes, adapt, yes, travel, but be very very careful, and personally I can't face the thought of flying.....
 
So yes, adapt, yes, travel, but be very very careful

Completely agree with Tina - caution above all.

What is a bit difficult for me - and probably for many others - to digest, is the seeming dissonance between the media/stories, and what you know from close experience.
It's hard to compare statistics, but here, for example, in Israel, a small country, we have one of the highest infection rates per million of population, and are now in second lockdown. However, I know personally only two people who have become infected with the virus.
One is a distant work colleague, 60+, who is gravely ill, but was certainly not healthy at all before this infection.
The other is my son-in-law, 30+, who had very mild symptoms, on the border of being asymptomatic, and is not exactly a health-freak.

And although it's still too early to summarize the global statistics about the connections between genetics, environment, age, etc., and the severity of the illness from the virus that one develops - it's still pretty clear in the meantime that the majority of severe cases and mortality rests with the population that is over 60 and has some background in chronic diseases, especially respiratory, blood circulation, and diabetes issues.

This is why I am inclined to be less worried than what I was seven months ago, and to think that : yes, if you are very careful, take care of your health, and plan wisely, then travel is possible, and can even be enjoyed.
 
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