Travelers flying to the United States will still need proof of Covid vaccination in 2023 – making the US the only country in the West sticking to the failed policy.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has extended the rule until at least January 8 next year to “limit the risk of Covid-19, including variants of the virus.”
However, there is growing acceptance among experts that Covid vaccines – while highly effective at preventing serious illnesses – are not very good at stopping infections.
dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), admitted earlier this year that gunshots “can no longer prevent transmission.”
But since November 2021, everyone entering the United States – including citizens returning home – has had to provide proof of a Covid vaccination.
Most major western nations like Britain, France and Germany have already dropped these types of recommendations.
The countries that still require a Covid vaccination for entry are: China, Angola, Libya, Ghana, Cameroon, Liberia, Yemen, Indonesia, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
The TSA announcement said it was renewing the policy to “limit the risk that Covid-19…is being introduced, transmitted, and spread in and around the United States.”
As the chart above shows, the introduction of proof of vaccination for travelers on November 8, 2021 did not stem the influx of Covid cases from the Omicron variant last winter
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said travelers must prove their Covid shot status to “reduce the spread of Covid-19,” although the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control has released guidance that includes unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals treat same
The TSA’s renewed policy runs through January 8 next year and could be extended beyond that
The document states: “Together with the President’s Proclamation and the CDC regulation, these guidelines are intended to limit the risk that Covid-19, including variants of the virus that causes Covid-19, is introduced, transmitted and spread in and everywhere.” United States, potentially overwhelming United States healthcare and public health resources, endangering the health and safety of the American people, and threatening the security of our civil aviation system.’
A flu shot lowers the risk of a stroke years later,
A flu shot may be more important than ever — a study shows it also lowers the risk of stroke years later.
Researchers say health officials should push harder for everyone to get routine influenza vaccines, rather than just those most at risk.
The study analyzed the medical records of more than 4 million adults in Alberta, Canada over a 10-year period.
The results showed that people who got a flu shot either once a year or every flu season over a 10-year period reduced their risk of stroke by more than a fifth on average.
The protective effect was even more pronounced in men and younger people.
Researchers haven’t specifically looked at why getting a flu shot significantly reduces risk, but the prevailing hypothesis is simple.
The vaccine lowers the risk of contracting the flu, which is a known risk factor for stroke.
This conflicts with CDC guidance released in August, which no longer distinguishes between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
It is estimated that the Covid vaccines prevent around 30 to 40 percent of infections in the three to six months after immunization. But that drops to practically zero after that.
But the shots reduce the risk of serious illness or death by up to 90 percent in the months following vaccination.
dr Walensky summed it up in January this year when she said: “Our vaccines are working exceptionally well. \
“They continue to work well for Delta in terms of serious illness and fatality. They prevent it… what they can no longer do is prevent transmission.’
Shots have weakened in preventing transmission as Covid has mutated.
The updated bivalent vaccines should improve protection against Omicron and its globally dominant subvariants.
But there are doubts whether the vaccines actually work better than the real thing, reported this week.
The Biden administration and the CDC dropped the requirement for international travelers to the United States to present a negative Covid test in June, but will not budge on the need for Covid vaccinations.
That means vaccinated people can fly even if they test positive for the virus.
Over 80 percent of the US has received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine and 69 percent are double vaccinated.
But uptake of booster doses has been sluggish, with just 26.3 million taking up the dual-value shots.
dr William Schaffner, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told the expanded policy is a “puzzle”.
He said: “There are several reasons why it is a mystery that travelers entering the US will still need to prove their Covid vaccination status.
“Firstly, Covid is plentiful and becoming widespread in the US, so we are not protecting our population from infection that is not here. Second, the vaccines are only moderately effective in preventing transmission. In fact, vaccinated people can become infected and transmit the virus to others.”
He added: “Finally, dealing with highly contagious respiratory viruses has clearly shown that travel restrictions of any kind are not very effective at keeping new viruses out of a country – and Covid is not new anymore.”