“i think the message has to get out there,” said phil logan who said he was shocked that clear information for people like his wife wasn’t immediately available.
the rollout of astrazeneca vaccine, which was developed in the uk, has been marked by miscommunication in canada.
as of april, it was available to people over 40 in ontario. then at the beginning of may, based on cases of vitt, a rare clotting syndrome in the brain, naci released a statement saying pfizer and moderna were the “preferred“ vaccines.
since then, ontario and other provinces stopped offering it as a first dose because of vitt concerns, but continued to make it available as a second dose.
this week, naci issued a statement saying an mrna vaccine was the preferred second dose after astrazeneca and that interchanging those vaccines offers more protection than two doses of astrazeneca.
the statement has left some who received astrazeneca with questions.
on friday, the ministry of health responded, assuring people who received astrazeneca as a second dose that they “can rest assured that the vaccine provides good protection against infection and very good protection against severe disease and hospitalization. these individuals did the right thing to prevent illness, and to protect their families, loved ones and communities.”