Officials expand recommended use of AstraZeneca vaccine to all adults
Posted March 15, 2021 7:17 pm.
Last Updated March 16, 2021 2:37 pm.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has expanded its recommendation for the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone over the age of 18.
The panel says they have considered three real-world effectiveness studies to inform the change in recommendation, citing real-world evidence from the United Kingdom.
In the U.K. they have been administering the shot to seniors and the committee says the results prove the vaccine is safe and effective for older adults, especially in protecting against severe cases and hospitalization.
Until now, NACI had recommended Canadians over 65 not receive an AstraZeneca shot.
This recommendation was not based on real-world data from other countries, which has increasingly shown the shot’s ability to prevent severe COVID-19 in older adults.
A frustrated Doug Ford says it means a lot of work for the province’s vaccine rollout team.
“I can’t begin to tell you the logistics behind it. It just messes everything up, to be frank with you,” said a visibly irritated Ford on Tuesday.
“It’s good news that they can go older than 60-65 but, man, we had everything set up, everything lined up, and then all of a sudden without notice today now we can move the goal post again.”
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NACI says the latest clinical trial data suggests vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are more effective than AstraZeneca for seniors.
“It’s not easy, I’ll tell you that,” added Ford. “I give all the credit to the folks out on the frontlines trying to constantly playing catchup on these goalposts that are being moved.”
Canada is expanding its use as at least a dozen European countries stop using it, after some people who had been vaccinated developed blood clots. Federal officials say the batch in question is not the batch that was delivered to Canada.
Ontario’s top doctor, David Williams, says the province is watching to see what the European investigations find, but there is no evidence the vaccine is responsible.
Over 100,000 people aged 80-and-older booked their COVID-19 vaccine appointments Monday despite technical issues with the website and long wait times to get through to the call centre.
A doctor who specializes in infectious diseases says federal officials may have a tough time instilling confidence in AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Zain Chagla says the message is confusing as a growing list of European countries suspends their use of the vaccine.
Health Canada and the European Medicines Agency both say no link has been proven and the benefits of the AstraZeneca shot outweigh the risks.
With files from The Canadian Press
