US approves vaccines for international visitors

(News 1st); The United States will accept the use by international visitors of COVID-19 vaccines authorized by U.S. regulators or the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday (8). The vaccines on the approved list includes Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm and the Sinovac vaccines. On September 20, the White House announced the United States in November would lift travel restrictions on air travelers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most of Europe who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. However, whether which vaccines would be accepted was not specified at the time. Accordingly, the CDC said that six vaccines that are authorized by the FDA or listed for emergency use by WHO will meet the criteria for travel to the U.S. The new COVID-19 vaccine requirements will now apply to nearly all foreign nationals flying to the United States, including those not subject to the prior restrictions.