New direction on AstraZeneca: NACI offers new advice for second shots
Andrew Forsyth says he thought he was doing the right thing.
As soon as AstraZeneca vaccines became available to his age group in April, he got a shot.
He assumed he'd get AZ for his follow-up jab as well but now, he's not so sure.
That's because on Thursday, the National Advisory Committee on Immunizationns (NACI) once again changed its guidance on vaccinations, now recommending that anyone who received AstraZeneca for their first dose should get an mRNA (Pfizer, Moderna) as their second.
That introduced a whole new set of variables into the decision-making process for people like Forsyth coming up on their second shot.
"It's really frustrating to know if you're making the right decision or not," he said. "The numbers of the prevalence of blood clots (a side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine) kept changing and then also there was suddenly (unexpected) availability of (more) Pfizer (vaccines)."
"There is definitely a lot of uncertainty and weighing all the pros and cons is a tough process."
AstraZeneca
"NACI’s earlier recommendation that people who wanted earlier vaccinations could receive a viral vector vaccine (AZ) rather than wait on mRNA vaccine reflected the limited supply of mRNA vaccines at the time, and the imperative of protecting vulnerable populations from serious illness and death," said Canada's Chief Medical Health officer Dr. Teresa Tam.
Health officials maintain that AstraZeneca still provides protection against COVID-19, just not as much as mRNA ones do, especially when it comes to the powerful Delta variant.
NOT RECOGNIZED IN U.S.
Even though there are few health implications with relying on AstraZeneca, there appear to be some social ones
For example, you can't see Bruce Springsteen perform his live show on Broadway unless you have two doses of a Federal Drug Administration (FDA)-approved vaccine.
Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are all approved, but AstraZeneca is not.
Bruce Springsteen on Broadway
Rock band the Foo Fighters also just performed their first live concert since the pandemic began, open only to fans meeting the same FDA-approved requirement.
POTENTIAL BACKFIRE FOR U.S. TOURISM
Kerry Bowman, a bioethicist at the University of Toronto said the policy could backfire on the United States tourism industry.
"Is there good reason why people with AstraZeneca should not be allowed within those venues? There is not in relation to science," he said. "I don't think they'll lose any sleep over Canadians but when things really open up and Europeans come, particularity the Brits, the amount (of people) it could exclude is huge."
Many Canadians already have received both their AstraZeneca doses and are considered fully vaccinated here and Ontario's solicitor general wants to make sure that counts in the United States as well.
"We will make sure that individuals in Ontario and Canada who received a Health Canada NACI approved vaccine will have the same right as individuals who received other vaccines," says Sylvia Jones.
Meanwhile, Andrew Forsyth says he just wished there would be more consistency in recommendations for which booster shot he should get.
Andrew Forsyth received AstraZeneca for his first dose, but know is wondering what to do for his second
"It's "definitely been something to personally navigate and it's been challenging," he says "I feel like a guinea pig, like I'm part of the trials."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'