Splitting vaccine between UK and US

I am curious if anyone has any guidance around the potential to split vaccine doses between the UK and US? I recently recieved my 1st dose of the Moderna vaccine here in the UK. As it has been difficult to get to the US for the past year and a half (for all of us) there are some administrative tasks that have been outstanding that I need to get to before the autumn and am considering travelling for around 2 weeks in July. As I am not due for my 2nd dose of Moderna in the UK until mid/late August, I was curious if anyone knew the practicality around getting the 2nd dose in the US on the same trip to speed things up? If this is possible would this cause any trouble if I had to prove vaccination status for any reason?

Thanks for any thoughts!

I don't have any direct knowledge at all, but what I do know about getting vaccinated in the US is that it's a bit of a free-for-all, regarding getting booked in (walk-ins are welcome in a lot of places, now), and there doesn't seem to be much tracking of who's been vaccinated, or with which vaccine.  A lot of sites don't say which vaccine they're giving out, but some online groups will track that, so you can try to find out where Moderna is being given and go there.  I would think you'd have little difficulty with getting your second jab.  But, again, I have no direct knowledge.

They are running lotteries with gifts for the winners for people who go get their jabs. I cannot imagine you'd have any trouble getting one. They are literally begging people to be immunized.

You should be given a card with information as to which batch of vaccine you receive, so you'd have that for your records. Assuming you could/do get a card in the UK, you'd then have proof of full vaccination. If you go to a pharmacy, and they don't offer you the card, you could ask for a written/print-out of what batch they gave you on their letterhead. Your info will be entered into the appropriate databases, but I'm not sure how easy it would be to get any sort of record from them later. (When I went for mine there was a short interview where I had to provide name, address, basic health stats, etc., that went right into the Dept. of Health's database while I sat there.)

This might help you find the Moderna - https://www.goodrx.com/covid-19/moderna

This might help generally? - https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/participating-pharmacies.html

Without insurance, it's still supposed to be free, but you never know about smaller pharmacies and what they'll ask for. The government will reimburse them for the time they spend giving you the shot, and the vaccine is provided to them free, so although they may ask for your insurance info, if you don't have any applicable insurance they should not turn you away. At any public health clinic or drive-up/walk-in site it would be free. I imagine you'd want to give your local address at those. And do allow yourself a couple of days to recuperate after the jab in case you experience side effects. Good luck!

I considered this possibility but never followed up on it.  My main question was what information the NHS would require to register the 2nd dose. I would call my local surgery to see if they'll accept the card you'll receive when you get the 2nd dose or if they would need more information.

When you schedule your appointment with CVS and Walgreens, the websites ask if you've had a first dose and then only looks for appointments from that manufacturer.  I imagine other websites would do the same. 

You could probably schedule your appointment before you leave the UK to give you peace of mind that you can get an appointment.  You would probably need VPN installed on your computer to gain access to the websites if you're doing it from the UK, or someone in the US could do it on your behalf.

I did a dummy booking on CVS and I could get a same day appointment from 4 pharmacies near my former home in the US.  Appointments are definitely widely available!

Thanks all - this is really helpful. My main concern is record keeping with the NHS, but I will follow up with them on that. This all said it is looking less likely the US will enter the greenlist sadly.

I haven't been keeping up with the UK's green list, but in my particular county in the USA 73% of adults have had at least one jab and it's somewhat over 50% statewide.  They are now actively vaccinating children over age 12. The R value here is extremely low at present.  It all varies wildly depending on where you are in the USA.

At this point I believe the US is considering that the UK is still a "red" country and restricting entry from it, and that there are appearances that a third wave is being generated in the UK via the delta (Indian) variant. (I hope not!) So even if the UK lowers the risk assessment for the USA, I think the USA is not doing the same for the UK and you might have trouble getting into the USA unless you are a citizen or are  married to and traveling with one.

reference reading:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/uk-travel-covid-19/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/25/proclamation-on-the-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-non-immigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease/

Hi

Ive jsut been through the same

I had Oxford one a few months ago here in the UK then suddenly had to fly to USA, which means I would have missed my 12 weeks. so I went to the vaccination centre here in the UK explained the situation and they did it for me, this gave me a 8 week gap.

Now my Wife had hers shortly before she flew to USA (Oxford one) and would have totally missed the 12 week one so what she has done was went on line in America for the city she is currently in  (Grants Pass, Oregon) and booked in for her 2nd Jab.  She was given Pfizer she could have chose that or Moderna.    She lied a little to make it less confusing and said it was her first jab.  She was then given a print out of her Jab.

I had researched this and spoke to our local Doctor and also a cose friend of mine who is head of Communication for NHS who asked around for me and they said having it mixed is probably better than same does jab's as your getting a mix off protection and it is something there looking to do later his year for 3rd  booster jabs for older population.  I also spoke to the Doctor about proof off vaccine and he said as long as my wife brings in the evidence she got from America they will update her records to show she has had 2 jabs and it will reflect in the NHS App...

Last month NHS England shortened the gap between doses from 12 to 8 weeks for those aged over 50. Does this help or hinder the situation?

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2021/05/C1290-COVID-19-vaccination-accelerating-second-doses-for-priority-cohorts-1-9-.pdf

…I also spoke to the Doctor about proof off vaccine and he said as long as my wife brings in the evidence she got from America they will update her records to show she has had 2 jabs and it will reflect in the NHS App...

Oooo, this is very helpful. I guess I should double check with my GP, but it would be great to know it’s an option.

When it comes to mixing doses then there are 2 trials currently running. The one that my wife and I are in mixing AstraZeneca with Moderna or Novavax or mixing Pfizer with Moderna or Novavax.

The first trial started some months ago mixing AstraZenecca with Pfizer. Initial results are that it is absolutely safe, but measuring the levels of protection over time takes 10 months. We are going for our 2nd blood test and interview in a couple of days having had our 2nd dose on April 20. 

Just checked my NHS app and the trial dose has now been recorded. I’m sure the local GP will be able to record a dose received while in the USA so that it appears on the official NHS record.