TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2021) Canadian health authorities have recorded the first case of blood clotting following inoculation Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Health Canada and the country's public health agency, PHAC, said on Tuesday.
"PHAC has received a report of an individual in Canada who has experienced a rare blood clot with low platelets following immunization with COVISHIELD, the [Serum Institute of India] version of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. This is the first reported case in Canada," the Federal department said in a statement via Twitter.
The case will be included in Health Canada's study of the link between the UK drugmaker's vaccine and the deadly side effect.
The federal department emphasized that the side effect is "very rare" and that the report is proof that the vaccine safety monitoring system works.
Health Canada has pressed pause on inoculating Canadians under the age of 55 with the AstraZeneca vaccine following a recommendation from Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunizations (NACI).
Canadian health regulators have also issued a disclaimer regarding blood clots that may potentially form in individuals who receive an AstraZeneca shot, but have not officially listed it as an official side effect.
Concern about the rare side effect of the vaccine began in mid-March, following dozens of reports of blood clotting after inoculations, prompting several EU countries to halt the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Experts at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have confirmed the link between the blood clot events and AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. Despite the findings, the EMA still insists that the benefits of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks posed.
