Re: Booster Shot Reluctance

Hi Lisa,
Italy & the UK have dropped all requirements for entry (I’m unsure of Greece), so you no longer have to show proof of vaccination or negative test.

You’ll most likely get varying opinions about what is considered fully boosted but that is between you and your doctor, so try not to worry about the ones who will talk down to you about your vaccination status (the unfortunate reality is it will probably happen).

Happy Travels
Amanda

Ok I'll try again and keep it simple and vague. I'm also wondering if I need another booster to get into Italy. According to Delta I need one within at least 270 days, which I will be beyond, but according to some Italian news sites there are no requirements for entry any more. For those of us reluctant to get another booster, apparently for reasons that must be left unknown, which is it? What do I need to enter Italy?

Check for each country on the Sherpa website. I know for our RS tour we are required to not just be vaccinated but also have received 'all eligible boosters.' You'll need to check each country if going on your own as they all have different requirements, but it seems like 270 days is the magic number. If you haven't had a vaccination within the last 270 days you aren't considered fully vaccinated. But, a lot of requirements have changed as of June 1st, so you really just need to look each country up to get the latest info.

Thanks, I hadn't know about the sherpa website. That's helpful. Turns out it looks like getting into Italy will be ok but my connection through Amsterdam might not as like Lisa I'm quite reluctant to get another booster which it looks like I might need to get through their airport. So that's another thing to keep in mind. It's not just your final destination, you need to make sure you can make it through your connecting airports. Yay!!!!

I would definitely trust the italian sources and not airline sources. They may not be up to date. If you get some pushback from an airline rep, be prepared with official sources to show them. Also, I know the Dutch government has a covid page with a section specifically about requirements for transiting passengers. It's been a few months since I've looked at it, but if you google 'transit passenger netherlands' or similar, you will find it.

bradweber - yup! Our ultimate destination is Prague which has no requirements right now, but we are transiting through Frankfurt which does, at least last time I checked. If we didn't have the booster Frankfurt would be a no go without the negative test a certain number of hours before you take off or land or...very confusing and to me not worth the hassle of not having the booster. I don't want to get to the gate to get on my plane and have the agent tell me it doesn't look like I'm fully vaccinated and not let me on because if my destination country doesn't let me in then the airline has to pay to fly me back home. For me, I'm going to do everything I can to make my life as easy as possible with this process.

To more directly reply to the original post by Lisa, unfortunately the initial shots are meaningless at this point. It's all about the boosters now. So if you don't want/can't get boosters, for whatever reason, your only hope is that neither your connecting airports or your final destination require boosters. Some do, some don't. Might not be able to travel still and for awhile. Sorry. It sucks. I'm right there with you so at least we can commiserate.

Here's the Netherlands requirements for transiting.

https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/visiting-the-netherlands-from-abroad/checklist-transit-or-short-stay

Every country is different in what they allow. And the transit through the airport is different rules. I have spent many hours reading about all the rules. We are headed to Greece with only recovery within last 90 days letter. We are transiting through US on way there and Netherlands (if KLM flies that day) on way home because I can transit without a shot if headed to non Schengen country. From pdx flights that meet my covid needs are limited and it was expensive and who knows if it all will work but we are going. I understand you can transit Germany with a shot, recovery letter or negative test.

If your going to travel overseas I would go ahead and get the booster, I reacted to my first shot, didn't to my 2nd and had no reaction to both of my boosters except a sore shoulder for 24 hrs. I know everyone is different but I bet if you talked with your doctor he or she could help you with getting through the booster injection.

I plan to go to Italy in August. Just got my 4th shoot or 2nd booster as some call it.
I had a surprisingly unpleasant and lengthy reaction to shot #3 . But no hesitancy whatsoever to get #4.
My equation is even an unpleasant reaction is nothing compared to getting covid. And I am not willing to trade off more protection from serious illness because I had a reaction to one vaccine shot.

I find that the quickest way to check a country’s status is to use the Sherpa site and slide the vaccine indicator to unvaccinated. Countries in green have no restrictions. The relative conservatism of Spain and the RS booster policy forced me to cancel yet another guided trip for the upcoming Fall. Instead, planning a self guided trip to Northern Italy using the Rick Steves guidebooks. I did use points for our flights since who knows what the conditions will be then.

https://apply.joinsherpa.com/map?affiliateId=sherpa&language=en-US

I agree with Donald and cafetista. I had less reaction to my second shot and even less with the 3rd and 4th (the two boosters), just sore arm at the injection site. My Illinois county had a surge in cases in April/May. Many work colleagues, much younger than I, who were infected (some for the second time) reported that they were "down and out" for 3 to 4 days with high fever, no energy and intestinal problems. Fortunately there are much fewer hospitalizations and deaths. I want the most protection available to continue to travel. There is one study that indicates that it is the 1st booster (3rd shot) that is really making a positive difference regarding protection from severe illness. The protection from the 2nd booster (4th shot) appears to wane after 8 weeks. As stated previously... Know what the rules are for the countries you will be visiting or in which you will make connections and be ready to show your airline proof of the country's current Covid regulations/restrictions.

My reaction to 3rd shot (so called booster) was far worse than my case of the Virus. In fact, I didn't know I had the Virus. (mandatory test for an Out-patient procedure at hospital). No 4th shot for me.

On my transit through Frankfurt, nobody checked my vaccination status anyway.

OP, good luck.

You are good without a booster for Italy. And you can transit thru AMS (Netherlands) without a booster (1 ticket) if you stay airside. I traveled from US thru AMS to Portugal in April, no problem.

When using Sherpa, put yourself in as "unvaccinated" to see what the requirements are.

The 2 countries I will be visiting this month and another country in September require that my most recent vaccine or booster be administered within the last 270 days. My doctor and my physicians assistant each recommended both of my boosters. I'm a senior who got 3 vaccines in one wellness visit last October... pneumovax, zostervax, and PRSV high dose. So blessed that I do not experience adverse reactions. Getting professional advice is an added comfort when making health/medical decisions. There are places to explore that do not have vaccine entry requirements. Happy travels.

It seems that the 270 rule could be putting travelers between 18 and 50 in kind of no-man's land. On Sherpa's France page, after listing the acceptable vaccines, dose combinations, etc. it says:

"In addition to the requirements above, travelers aged over 18 years and 1 month must have received a booster mRNA dose no later than 9 months following the injection of the last required dose. Travelers unable to present valid proof of vaccination may be required to comply with the rules for unvaccinated travelers." (Bolding mine).

I am 42 and so not yet eligible for the second booster. My booster will hit the 9 month mark on July 26, eight days after I plan to fly home (provided I don't get waylaid by Covid). When I spoke to my doctor about speeding up my second dose (on the grounds of upcoming travel and the effective "expiration" of my booster) he was not enthusiastic, told me to wait because "you're young and healthy," but suggested I bring some Paxlovid with me.

I've gone back and forth on just getting the second booster anyway, since I'm in Virginia and there's not exactly a rush on the shots. But now, eight days out from flying, and 13 from the start of my RS tour, I'd feel paranoid about antibodies triggering a false positive on a test.

My traveling partner asked the doctor about packing Paxlovid as a precaution and she said it is only prescribed after a positive test result. This thread, started by serene2575, asked about travels to the UK, Italy and Greece but I've read in other threads/forums that others' requests for Paxlovid prescriptions prior to travel are being denied. The 270 day vaccine rule is causing problems for many travelers like yourself. I have also read that because the 2nd booster (4th shot) does not provide significant added protection after 8 weeks, there isn't the concern/push to promote it as there was, and still is, for the 1st booster (3rd shot/dose) which shows powerful increased protection compared to having just the first two initial doses. As we move forward these countries will experience reduction in tourism if the 270 day rule remains in effect. Countries like France may likely already be losing tourists to the UK, Italy, etc.

Many countries allow for a negative covid test in lieu of being fully vaccinated (boosted). Anyways, personally, I think it's a good idea to test prior to international travel just in case have covid and am not aware. Might as well start healthy.

https://fr.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/

On March 13, France reclassified the United States as a green nation, and so unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated travelers departing from the United States no longer need to show a compelling reason for travel, but must have a negative COVID test performed within 72 hours before departure (if a PCR test) or 48 hours before departure (if an antigen test). 

This all just stinks for people like me who have been told by their doctor not to get another shot because of a quite extreme adverse reaction to the 3rd one. Silly rules. I'd be absolutely fine with packing along some paxlovid just in case. I really empathize with the OP. Again, unfortunately Lisa it looks like we'll have to put off travel another year it seems. In your case I would definitely recommend talking to your doctor about getting the booster however. It doesn't seem from your post that you have done that yet. They might recommend it and then you'd be all set!

@bradweber
Why put off travel for another year? I get it if considered high risk, but besides that, not sure of the why...
Many countries don't require a booster shot.

Paxlovid is available in the EU
https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/01/27/new-covid-pill-ema-gives-pfizer-s-antiviral-drug-paxlovid-the-green-light-to-be-used-in-th

All three countries that the OP references don’t even have entry requirements anymore. All of Europe is soon to follow. The vaccine mandates are becoming a moot point. Certainly one needs to confirm transit requirements for connecting flights, but for the most part it’s definitely feasible to travel to Europe now and not have to worry about a vaccine booster schedule.

Hi Gail :)
I am relatively low risk, 40 and fairly healthy but I will be traveling with a higher risk person. Unfortunately because of my job it is "low" season that I am free to travel. So I have bought refundable tickets to Italy for this December, and I fully expect I'll have to take them up on that refund. I'm crossing my fingers as it seems the testing re-entry requirement may be ending sometime soon. If it doesn't I'll have to cancel. If I am required to have a booster I'll probably have to cancel. I bought the tickets because the price was good and I'm expecting them to go way up if and when the testing requirement is lifted due to increased demand. Also, I kind of prefer places like Rome and Paris in the low season. I don't really expect to be going though. My concern, shared by the OP, is that the booster will be required. I'm passing through Amsterdam and from what I've gathered from Delta and even the Sherpa site it seems I will need a booster to connect in Amsterdam. So yes, I rashly bought the tickets without doing all the endless research necessary to discover the rules and regulations. I do agree with your sentiment though and I appreciate the response. I just had my heart set on Italy and wasn't aware of the connecting issues. thanks for the link about paxlovid. If I go I'll be taking my mom who has never been to Europe and is very excited, and also very concerned about being able to access paxlovid just in case. We were actually supposed to be in Italy in March 2020, that wonderful season. So we wait, and probably have to wait until next year but yeah fingers crossed.

@bradweber
I'm also planning on going to Italy in December :) I haven't bought my tickets yet, but I plan to transit thru Amsterdam.

I connected thru Amsterdam in April and had no issue (Delta/KLM flight, non-schegen to schegen). I just needed to be able to show that I met the requirements to enter my final destination which was a covid test in my case.

https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/visiting-the-netherlands-from-abroad/exemptions-to-the-entry-ban/eu-entry-ban-exemption-categories

Section: Transit/transfer

You are travelling to an EU country/Schengen area country via the Netherlands. You must be able to show you have permission to enter the EU country/Schengen country in question. You can do this with a note verbale from that country’s embassy, for example, or another type of document that proves you can travel there.

@Gail
Maybe we'll cross paths! :). That's good to hear. I'll probably give it a few months and check back in to see what the situation is in Amsterdam. Happy Travels!

Happy Travels! And don't get discouraged.

Thanks for the links.

Folks, we've already removed a thread today because replies couldn't keep it about travel. Keep your responses focused on how this affects travel (e.g. figuring out what the rules are that you need to follow), and avoid commentary on the pandemic. The addendum to the Community Guidelines re discussing the pandemic are still in effect.

My wife and I are planning to be on RS Sicily tour in late September as part of a month-long trip to Italy. We got our 2nd Moderna boosters a few days ago and had similar, moderate reactions with fever and achiness for about 36 hours. It was unpleasant, but we are seniors and really don't want to contract COVID and intend to take recommended steps to protect ourselves and those we come in contact with. Regardless of the rules at the time, we will be wearing masks on flights as well as other public transportation and in crowded enclosed areas. If we end up testing positive, we'll deal with it, but we will also do all we can to fully enjoy international travel.

Woo Hoo!!!!! One less "rule" for us to follow to be able to travel!!!