Nicole Thompson and Morgan Lowrie
People are shown at a COVID-19 vaccination site in Montreal, Sunday, April 18, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes April 18, 2021 - 4:39 PM Provinces are free to offer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to all adults, Canada s health minister said Sunday as calls mounted in at least one province hard hit by COVID-19 to lower the age restriction on the shot. While the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has yet to release updated recommendations on the vaccine, Patty Hajdu said provincial officials are not beholden to the group s current advice to only offer the shot to those 55 and older.
Alberta joins Ontario in lowering minimum age for AstraZeneca vaccine
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Two provinces will offer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to those aged 40 and over starting Tuesday, officials announced Sunday following days of mounting pressure to lower the minimum age.
Alberta and Ontario had previously stuck to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s recommendation to offer the AstraZeneca shot to those 55 and over due to a slightly elevated risk of an extremely rare blood clot disorder.
But as hospitalizations surged to unprecedented levels in Ontario and Alberta saw unparalleled rates of COVID-19, their governments announced matching plans to expand eligibility.
NACI provides advice to provinces and territories, Hajdu told a news conference Sunday. They can adjust their use for AstraZeneca as per their desire and the advice from their own public health authorities and medical expertise.
She noted that Health Canada has licensed the AstraZeneca shot for use in people over the age of 18. NACI continues to review the advice on AstraZeneca use and will have updated guidance in the very near future, Hajdu added.
Her comments come as some provinces particularly Ontario and Alberta grapple with devastating third waves of COVID-19.
And while Ontario Premier Doug Ford points the finger at a lack of vaccine supply, the head of the association that represents the province s hospitals argued that AstraZeneca shots were sitting in pharmacy freezers.
Premier Jason Kenney announces, from Edmonton on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, that Alberta is returning to Step 1 of the four-step framework to protect the health system and reduce the rising spread of COVID-19 provincewide. Photo by Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta
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Two provinces will offer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to those aged 40 and older starting Tuesday, officials announced Sunday following days of mounting pressure to lower the minimum age.
Alberta and Ontario had stuck to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s recommendation to offer the AstraZeneca shot to those 55 and older due to a slightly elevated risk of an extremely rare blood clot disorder.
Minimum age for AstraZeneca lowered to 40 fftimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fftimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.