A shipment of 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive in Canada from the United States today — one day after provinces suspended its use in people under the age of 55.
The vaccines are set to cross the border by truck. They are the first doses to be manufactured and shipped to this country from south of the border.
A panel of scientific experts recommended pausing the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine among people under the age of 55 yesterday as a precautionary measure over concerns the vaccine may be linked to rare but severe instances of blood clots in some immunized patients — notably among younger women.
The recommendation marked the third time the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) altered its guidance on the vaccine in the past month, raising fears that changing guidelines may contribute to vaccine hesitancy.
Dr. Shelley Deeks, the vice-chair of NACI, said the recommendation came in response to new data from Europe that suggests the risk of severe blood clots is now potentially up to one in 100,000 — much higher than the one in one million risk believed before.
Health Canada said Monday it ordered AstraZeneca to conduct a detailed study on the risks and benefits of its COVID-19 vaccine across multiple age groups and by sex. NACI’s recommendation will remain in place while that study is completed.
WATCH: AstraZeneca guidance change ‘precautionary,’ says federal government adviser
Pausing the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in people under the age of 55 was a precautionary measure, says Dr. Shelley Deeks of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. Deeks also said that the NACI continues to revise guidance based on evidence. 12:00
Over 300,000 AstraZeneca-Oxford shots have been administered in Canada already, with no reports of blood clots here, officials said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Procurement Minister Anita Anand and Health Minister Patty Hajdu scheduled a news conference for 11:30 a.m. ET to speak to Canadians about COVID-19 and the vaccine rollout.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam and Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Howard Njoo are also expected to be in attendance.
Slightly less than 3.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive this week in total, with Pfizer-BioNTech also shipping almost 1.2 million doses and Moderna expected to make good on a shipment of 590,400 doses that was delayed last week by a backlog in the company’s quality assurance process.
