Brampton residents who got AstraZeneca join rest of Canada to choose brand of second dose
Published June 1, 2021 at 2:33 pm
Brampton residents who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will likely join the rest of Canada in deciding to choose the Pfizer or Moderna brands for the their second dose.
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) says the choice will be up to the recipients who can also stick with AstraZeneca.
The decision flows from growing fears that AstraZeneca is linked to a blood clotting condition that has affected 41 people across the country. These suspected cases of vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia have lead to five deaths across the country, one in Ontario.
As well, the NACI now says the mixing of vaccines is safe and may produce better protection against COVID-19 following extensive international studies.
While NACI has given its approval in the shift in policy, it will be up to the Provincial government to decide if it wants to follow this new protocol as well as figure out the procedure how people will choose their vaccine.
With current supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine dwindling, some Canadian health experts believe the federal government will phase out the brand and move forward with just Pfizer and Moderna for the time being.
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