As the world slouches towards normalcy, seemingly-small decisions about COVID-19 protocols are having surprising impacts on people’s lives. As the latest example, Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming revival of his Tony Award-winning show Springsteen on Broadway has announced that audience members must have received an FDA-approved vaccine, which makes it off-limits to people in other countries who got the AstraZeneca jab.
So far, the US Food and Drug Administration has provided emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for three vaccines: Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson. AstraZeneca has sought an EUA, but in April the FDA asked for extra data amid evidence that the vaccine was linked to rare occurrences of blood clots. A similar issue led to an 11-day pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which, like AZ, uses adenovirus technology. The J&J jab was quickly reinstated after the FDA found the clot risk to be extremely low.
Currently, AstraZeneca is widely used in Canada, Australia, Indonesia, and much of Europe. There is still a chance — perhaps even a good chance — that it will receive an EUA, but time is running out for fans of The Boss. Springsteen on Broadway returns June 26th and runs through September 4th.
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The Broadway show requires audience members over 16 to be fully vaccinated and 14 days past their final dose. Children under 16 not only must be accompanied by an inoculated adult, they must also provide recent proof of a negative COVID-19 test — within six hours of the performance for antigen tests, or within 72 hours of curtains-up for PCR tests. According to the website, these requirements have been made “at the direction of New York State.” Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or on the secondary market here.
Those who are able to attend may be treated to fresh material. Springsteen has been teasing a new album, which could be followed by a 2022 tour with the E-Street Band. Earlier this week, he collaborated with The Killers on the song “Dustland”.
