Boxes containing some of the first 500,000 of the 2 million AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine doses obtained by Canada through an agreement with the Serum Institute of India in partnership with Verity Pharma at a facility in Milton, Ontario , Canada March 3, 2021. REUTERS / Carlos Osorio
The Canadian province of Ontario will begin offering AstraZeneca (AZN.L)’s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday to people aged 40 or older, according to a government source.
The change will broaden access to vaccines as a third wave of infections threatens hospitals in Canada’s most populous province, making it easier to use doses that in some cases accumulate at pharmacies.
The change will be announced Monday, according to the source, and will take effect across the province. The vaccine has already been distributed to pharmacies, but can currently only be given to people aged 55 or older.
Ontario on Friday announced new social health measures, with the promise of checkpoints at provincial borders, new police forces and the closure of outdoor facilities, while many jobs were left open. The measures were widely criticized by doctors and public health experts, and the province quickly reopened playgrounds and changed the new police powers.
On March 29, Health Canada said it would review reports of severe blood clots and bleeding in a small number of people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine in other countries, and an independent panel called the National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI) recommended that it be given only to people 55 years and older. All provinces followed the council.
But the recommendations of NACI are not binding. Last week, Health Canada, the country’s drug regulator, said all available evidence would be reviewed and the use of the vaccine would not be restricted, as its benefits outweigh its potential risks. Health Canada said at the time that NACI was reviewing its recommendations.
The chairman of the NACI told Reuters on Sunday that the panel would make a new recommendation on Tuesday.
Health Canada says regulators in the UK have estimated the risk of blood clots to be very small, about four in a million people receiving the vaccine. It is also said that the complication is treatable. Two people have developed it in Canada, and both are recovering.
Several other countries have restricted the use of the vaccine to older people. Denmark withdrew the shot, and Norway said on Thursday it would take longer to decide whether to resume use.
Ontario reported 4,250 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. The Ontario Hospital Association said 59 patients were admitted to intensive care on Saturday, bringing the number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs to 737.
Health Canada says those receiving the vaccine should seek immediate medical attention if they have shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling in the leg, persistent abdominal pain, neurological symptoms such as severe headache or dull face, or skin ailments or small blood stains under the skin. the site of injection.
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