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By KELIN DILLON

While the vaccine against covid-19 has been made widely available to citizens and foreign residents of Mexico alike, obtaining government endorsed proof of full inoculation that allows for foreign travel to places like Europe and Canada has been all but impossible, thanks to failures in the government’s online certificate portal.

The portal, which requires recipients of the vaccine to enter their CURP and MiVacuna registration information from when they first signed up for the shot, has reportedly failed to send certificates to the right email addresses. Those which did arrive have reportedly been missing information, including evidence of the crucial second dose necessary for full vaccination, or in some cases, any record of the vaccine scheme whatsoever.

Now, many looking to travel outside of Mexico to foreign countries where vaccine records are mandatory to enter are unable to leave the nation, with government agencies recommending for people to simply wait for their records to be updated with no clear timeline provided.

It should be noted that several of the vaccines Mexico has given out will not be considered acceptable for entry to Canada or Europe, including the Chinese Vaccine CanSino and SinoVac and the Russian Sputnik V. Thus so far, Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Jonhson & Johnson are the only inoculations that have been used in the country that will be deemed adequate for travel to these locations. 

Likewise, anyone wishing to enter Europe or Canada will need to wait at least two weeks after receiving their second dose of one of the two-shot vaccines, or 28 days after the one shot of Johnson & Johnson, for the inoculation to take full effect and to be cleared for traveling abroad.