TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2021) Several more Canadian provinces have joined Ontario and Alberta in halting or limiting the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus injection in their immunization programs.
Nova Scotia will no longer offer the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot as a first dose of coronavirus vaccine to its residents, the province said on Wednesday, citing the dangerous complications to human health if it is administered.
"Nova Scotia will pause the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as the first dose effective today, May 12," the province said in a press release on Wednesday. "The decision is based on an abundance of caution due to an observed increase in the rare blood clotting condition linked to this vaccine and because Nova Scotia has enough mRNA vaccine to immunize people age 40 and older."
To date, Canadian authorities have reported at least a dozen instances of Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT) following inoculation with the AstraZeneca vaccine and at least three deaths.
Manitoba limited AstraZeneca's administration to those who do not have access to other vaccines, albeit citing supply challenges as the reason for the curtailment. The existing stock of AstraZeneca vaccines will be reserved for second doses, the province said in a statement.
Saskatchewan paused the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccination late Tuesday evening, also citing "supply issues."
Despite the provinces slowly moving away from the AstraZeneca vaccine, Canada is still set for 655,000 AstraZeneca doses next week.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was immunized with the AstraZeneca vaccine at the end of April, said on Wednesday that his doctor advised him to receive his second dose in the next few weeks, despite most Canadians being told to wait up to four months for a second dose.
Canada's vaccination regime has faced repeated setbacks, with the country experiencing a shortage of doses, despite the Trudeau government lauding deals with numerous vaccine manufacturers.
