the odd blood clotting disorder linked with oxford-astrazeneca’s covid-19 vaccine is a different kind of clotting problem, one that requires more extensive care, can’t be predicted and is “really kinda bad,” says a toronto infectious diseases specialist. the case fatality rate ranges between 25 and 40 per cent.
there is “essentially no scenario” outside of the hardest-hit regions where it is beneficial to give astrazeneca rather than wait for an alternative, morris, a member of ontario’s covid-19 science advisory table, said in an interview. while stressing that he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the table, “there is very little excuse for us to be continuing to give astrazeneca to canadians” because the estimated risk of a clotting disorder is too high, morris said.
it’s the latest shot to the controversy-plagued vaccine. alberta is moving to stop using astrazeneca for first doses, the globe and mail reported tuesday. “because we have so much mrna vaccine, these are the vaccines that we are recommending for people to book their first dose with,” unless they can’t take an mrna vaccine for health reasons or prefer the astrazeneca shot, dr. kirstin klein, a local medical officer of health for northern alberta told the globe.
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this shouldn’t be construed as buyer’s remorse , he said. people should not feel as if they were somehow “hoodwinked” into getting astrazeneca. every authorized covid vaccine in canada has been “absolutely life-saving.”
a new analysis just out from public health england suggests a single dose of either the astrazeneca or pfizer-biontech vaccine is 80 per cent effective at preventing death from covid. that rises to 97 per cent after two doses of pfizer.
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canada’s panel of independent vaccination advisors last week reiterated that pfizer and moderna remain the “ preferred ” recommended jabs for all canadians, and that people at low risk of covid should consider holding out for an mrna vaccine, unless they choose to get vaccinated sooner.
however, the second dose question remains — what happens to those who received a single dose of astrazeneca? officials are awaiting the results of a large study in the u.k. that’s tested alternating doses of astrazeneca and pfizer in hundreds of volunteers.
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