New U.S. vaccine requirement leaves some Mexican travelers with hard decisions

For many Mexicans, the U.S. government decision to allow entry only to people vaccinated with World Health Organization-approved vaccines leaves them with some hard decisions.

If they received the CanSino vaccine from China or the Sputnik vaccine from Russia, which are not WHO-approved, they can try to come to the U.S. before the vaccine requirement goes into place on Nov. 8 to get an approved vaccine. However, the effects of combining these vaccines have not been studied.

Many have decided to come to the U.S. before the border reopening date to get the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines, all of them approved by the FDA. Beginning Nov. 8, all foreign travelers entering the U.S. for nonessential reasons, either by plane or by land, must show proof of vaccination.

Right now, travelers by plane only have to show a negative COVID test, but the land border is closed to nonessential travel until Nov. 8.

After Nov. 8, U.S. officials won’t be accepting the Sputnik V and CanSino vaccines for travelers entering the U.S. by plane or land, since the vaccines are not included in the list of WHO-sanctioned vaccines.

That’s why Perla Gómez, 41, a university professor living in Puebla, Mexico, had to make a choice: In May, she was vaccinated with the CanSino vaccine. In October, she traveled by plane twice to Dallas to get the two Pfizer doses.

“When I learned about the new U.S. government requirements beginning in November for entry by air or land, I had to make some planning changes and scheduled our second-dose appointment for late October,” said Gómez, who traveled with her 15-year-old daughter.

The requirements

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers a person to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus if they received one or two doses of the corresponding vaccine and at least two weeks have passed since their last shot.

In Mexico and other Latin American countries, millions have been vaccinated with two doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or one dose of the CanSino.

As of Oct. 30, Mexico had received 19,100,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, enough to fully vaccinate 9,550,000 people; and 11,142,570 doses of the CanSino vaccine, to complete vaccination of roughly the same number of people because it’s a one-dose vaccine, according to Mexico’s Health Ministry data.

In order to avoid being turned away at the border, many Mexicans are taking a risk.

So far, no study has endorsed the combination of the CanSino or Sputnik vaccines with the ones from Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.

On Oct. 20 the Food and Drug Administration approved the combination of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines as a booster to the initial immunization.

“I feel deciding which vaccines are allowed and which aren’t (in Mexico) is an instance of discrimination. Here, we can’t choose. That’s pretty problematic,” Gómez said.

“Not all people have the means to do what I did. Thousands will be left without being able to see their family members or leisure travel.”

In Mexico and other Latin American countries, people can’t choose vaccines. Instead, governments organize public vaccination drives depending on the available doses.

According to Gómez, her double trip to Dallas to get the vaccine for her and her daughter cost her about $1,500. They didn’t pay for a hotel, since she stayed with friends.

Double vaccination

Alicia Guzmán works as an editor for several publications and is a university and high school professor in Mexico City.

In May, Guzmán got the CanSino vaccine — the one given to educators of every level in Mexico.

“It was implied, if you didn’t get vaccinated, you couldn’t continue teaching,” Guzmán said.

Guzmán was invited to an event at the University of Texas in Austin next February, so when she heard the news that the U.S. would be asking for vaccination proof, she decided to buy a round-trip ticket to Los Angeles for Nov. 5 to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

It was the cheapest plane ticket she could get to travel to the U.S and stay for only one day, so she didn’t have to spend money on lodging.

“Yes, I’m afraid of combining vaccines, because I don’t know what the consequences are. But I have no choice. If I don’t have the complete vaccination status, I won’t be allowed in,” Guzmán said.

“Wherever I go, I don’t plan to say that I already received the CanSino vaccine; otherwise they’ll probably refuse to vaccinate me.”

For the same-day flight from Mexico City to Los Ángeles, Guzmán spent around $500, not counting food and hotel since she’ll only be in California for a few hours.

Viridiana Elías, a dental surgeon and university professor in Mexico City, also received a CanSino vaccine shot in May.

But she decided to fly to Houston to get another vaccine, so as not to lose the opportunity to attend conferences or spend vacations in the U.S.

In early October, Elías, 37, and two of her friends, received the Pfizer vaccine in a Houston pharmacy. Three weeks later, they traveled again for their second shot.

“We asked doctors we know what they thought about getting another vaccine, and they said it was best because the one we had already received (CanSino) would probably need a booster anyway,” she said. “So it was like getting a booster.”

Elsa Treviño, 37, who works as an online editor for a cybersecurity company, was vaccinated with CanSino but also plans to get vaccinated again in the U.S.

She was planning to fly on Nov. 3 to Florida to get both Pfizer doses while staying with a friend for three weeks.

Treviño said she talked with her doctor before making the appointment.

He told her not to worry, since there’s no evidence that mixing vaccines is risky.

“I rather think I’ll be extra-vaccinated,” she said. “I will be free to travel.”