Americans living abroad are returning to the United States to receive coronavirus vaccinations amid frustrations with delays in taking photos around the globe.
More Americans are choosing to travel back to the United States, rather than wait for a hit in places like Europe, where the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this month said vaccine launches were “Unacceptably slow.”
Distribution problems have been exacerbated by the temporary suspension of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University in several countries as a result of concerns about rare blood clots.
While a European Medicines Agency (EMA) safety committee earlier this month called for the benefits of obtaining the AstraZeneca vaccine to outweigh the potential risks, noting that there is a “possible link” between the vaccine and blood clots, a series of countries have recommended against shooting for younger age groups, which have recorded the majority of cases of blood clots.
This week, Denmark became the first European country stop permanently its distribution of AstraZeneca fires after the country’s health agency said the vaccine “showed real and serious side effects”.
Chloe Zeitounian, a 32-year-old American actor living in London, said The Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Saturday that he decided to travel to the US earlier this month to avoid the AstraZeneca shot, which was not approved for emergency use in the US
“I’ve certainly seen people talk about vaccine tourism,” Zeitounian said. “That’s basically what I did.”
Zeitounian, who received a dose of Moderna vaccine and plans to return for the second dose on a business trip later this year if he does not receive it in the UK first, is one of the few expats observed by the Journal who decided to come to the US after President Biden
Joe Biden The FedEx shooting suspect used two assault rifles he legally bought: US and Chinese police say they are “committed” to cooperating in climate change DC goes to dogs – Major and Champ, meaning MORE set April 19 as the date when all US adults will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
Cheryl Walling, a 61-year-old retired woman from Spain, said of her fellow citizens in Arizona, “She’s vaccinated right and left.”
“I’m jealous. I’m so jealous,” Walling told the Journal.
Meanwhile, some Americans living abroad are reluctant to return to the United States for fear that it will complicate their receipt of “vaccine passports” in their countries of residence.
This is because U.S. conservatives have argued against applying for vaccine passports, arguing that it violates people’s right to privacy and the choice to get vaccinated with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantisSunday shows preview: Russia, US exchange sanctions; police tensions are rising; Vaccination campaign continues American expatriates returning to the US to get shots COVID-19 Oddsmakers say Harris, not Biden, most likely to win nomination in 2024, election MORE (R) earlier this month issuing an executive order banning passport requirements for coronavirus vaccine in the state.
As of Friday, about 24 percent of the U.S. population, or about 80 million people, have been completely vaccinated, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).