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
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.