Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunizations (NACI) said on Tuesday that it is recommending the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for Canadian seniors, reversing its guidance from earlier this month
TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2021) Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunizations (NACI) said on Tuesday that it is recommending the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for Canadian seniors, reversing its guidance from earlier this month.
NACI said on March 1 that it is not recommending AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine for Canadians aged 65 and older.
"The recommendation on the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been updated to include use in those 65 years of age and older," NACI said in its latest recommendations statement.
NACI said it relied on data from the mass vaccination campaign in the United Kingdom with the AstraZeneca vaccine to reach its conclusion.
Canadian health regulators authorized the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine along with the Serum Institute of India version of the vaccine on February 26 for use in individuals over the age of 18.
Despite use of the vaccine being halted in at least a dozen countries, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that he trusts the scrupulous work done by his country's health regulators before authorizing the AstraZeneca vaccine and urged Canadians to receive the first vaccine offered to them amid reports that some citizens are refusing to be immunized with the UK drugmaker's vaccine.
France, Germany, Italy and a host of other nations have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after citizens reported side-effects following inoculation from the vaccine's ABV5300 batch. The batch in question was distributed among 17 EU countries.
