‘They see you as unvaccinated’: B.C. man with mixed doses calling for third shot

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) –Frustrated and losing income, a North Vancouver man is calling on the province to find solutions to those facing international travel woes.

Remko de Haas received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine: AstraZeneca (now known as Vaxzevria) and Moderna (renamed SpikeVax), but as a result he doesn’t meet the eligibility requirements for travel to some countries.

As an IT project manager who works abroad, he’s been left stranded as a result.

“You feel a bit put aside… they see you as non-vaccinated,” de Haas said.

He’s not alone, as about 10 per cent of the Canadian population has received mixed doses, according to the federal government.

Saying he appreciates Dr. Bonnie Henry’s work & thinks she’s doing a great job, North Vancouver man Remko de Haas is asking BC to give him a 3rd shot given many countries don’t recognize his mixed vaccine status—a major issue for the international project manager. More @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/Yx8O4X9HdY

— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) September 24, 2021

Health Canada made the recommendation in June that anyone receiving one shot of AstraZeneca would gain more immunity from a second dose of an mRNA vaccine such as Pfizer (Comirnaty) and Moderna.

But de Haas says that has only made travel more difficult for him and many others, as the mix-and-match approach isn’t recognized by some countries.

For example, the U.S. still does not recognize the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Canadian government has maintained it is working on a way to remove the travel barriers, but so far has not announced any details as to the timeline.

For de Haas, he doesn’t place too much faith in the U.S. government or other countries to change their policies on a dime, so he says a simple solution is to get the provincial government to step up.

“If we have sufficient vaccine doses, and I think we have, people who are motivated to take the third does, [it] gives them the possibility,” he said.

“I want to put it on the radar of the decision makers in B.C.,” he said.

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It’s not a new idea in Canada. Several provinces are now giving a third shot to ensure people with mixed shots meet vaccine requirements abroad.

Quebec was the first province to began offering the additional shot back in July, although experts said that the move would not give people any more protection from the virus, as data shows the mix-and-match is extremely efficacious. 

Following the move, Alberta and Saskatchewan have introduced similar policies. B.C.’s top doctor was asked in July if the province would do the same to allow people to travel more easily, but the answer was no.

“Obviously across the country we are looking at this. This is something that is very much in flux. We need to be patient. We are working with Canada, we are working internationally,” Dr. Bonnie Henry said on July 27.

She said Canada is not alone in its vaccine rollout recommendations, saying about 15 countries followed the similar vaccine strategy and all face a similar issue.

“There are downsides as well,” Henry said. “We know that there is an increased chance of having an adverse reaction after having more doses.”

While de Haas says he appreciates all of the work by B.C.’s top doctor, he’s asking her to change her mind on this issue.

“It would be great if knowing the difficulties we have currently in terms of vaccination status acknowledgement that we also could get a third dose,” he said as a message to Dr. Bonnie Henry.

He says he would be willing to pay out of pocket for a third dose.

In an update to NEWS 1130, the province says it has not changed its direction when it comes to three doses.

“At this time, B.C. is not providing a third dose of vaccine for leisure travel purposes, but we do help people who may need additional doses by assessing on a case-by-case basis the need for compassionate reasons or for essential travel,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Adding, “we’re continuing to monitor developments on vaccine efficacy and will adjust our approach as needed to ensure that British Columbians are protected, and we can put this pandemic behind us.”