Czech journalist Michael Durčák was vaccinated against covid in the USA in January, but Czech authorities have perceived him as unvaccinated. He had to undergo regular mandatory tests and was unable to travel to some destinations.
For three months, he fought in vain for the authorities to recognize the Moderna vaccine from the United States, which is also vaccinated in the Czech Republic. He, therefore, decided to go to a pharmacy in Dresden, where he was issued a European certificate on the spot.
“I was a member of the technical infrastructure in the United States, testing people for coronavirus in Nebraska. In January, we were offered the Moderna vaccine, so we got vaccinated. I was supposed to return to the Czech Republic in May. However, we received a reply from the embassy that they do not accept vaccinations from the USA in the Czech Republic, ” Durčák told.
However, he returned to the Czech Republic without any problems and did not even have to be tested for coronavirus. “The Americans and Germans took my vaccination certificate and on the way from Germany to the Czech Republic, nobody asked me for anything. I called the Ministry and they told me that the district doctor or the hygiene department would help me. But they couldn’t, ” he explained.
Luckily, he and his colleagues found that in Germany it is not a problem to have vaccinations from the USA accepted in 80 pharmacies. Together with them, he went to one of them in Dresden, where he presented his US vaccination certificate along with his passport and obtained the necessary certification in three minutes.
In the Czech Republic, vaccines should be recognized by general practitioners for citizens vaccinated in selected non-European countries, but this still does not work in practice.
The Ministry of Health has postponed the recognition of vaccination documents from abroad several times, but now allows it for 13 non-European countries from 12 July. Certificates from Serbia, Israel or the UK are recognised directly, while 10 other countries, including the United States, require a certificate from the European Union.