Province will continue to offer AstraZeneca as second dose to AZ recipients in Mississauga, Brampton and Ontario

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Published June 18, 2021 at 3:24 pm

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If you got AstraZeneca as your first dose, you will still be eligible to receive the same shot as your second dose. 

Today, the office of Health Minister Christine Elliott released a statement following the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)’s recommendation that people who received one shot of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine receive an mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) shot as their second. 

The Health Minister’s office says Ontarians can still choose an AZ shot as their booster. 

“The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has updated its recommendations on first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in Canada,” the statement reads. 

“In Ontario, the AstraZeneca vaccine is currently available for those who wish to receive it as a second dose, with informed consent, through select pharmacy and primary care channels.”

NACI recently announced that people who have received one or both doses of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine can rest assured that the vaccine provides good protection against infection and very good protection against severe disease and hospitalization. 

The ministry says that residents who had Moderna or Pfizer for their first dose can safely take either Moderna or Pfizer for their second dose. Residents who had AZ for their first dose can elect to take AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer for their second dose.

People who have not yet been vaccinated are advised to take Pfizer or Moderna as their first dose. 

“All COVID-19 vaccines available in the province, including AstraZeneca, have been determined to be safe and effective by Health Canada, and have been shown to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death associated with COVID-19,” the statement reads. 

“To ensure maximum protection against COVID-19 and the Delta variant, Ontarians should get vaccinated as soon as they can and book their second dose as soon as they are eligible.”

Cover photo courtesy of The Canadian Press

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