Article content
Ontario will no longer give AstraZeneca vaccinations as first doses because of the risk of rare blood clots.
The announcement by public health officials came late Tuesday after increased reports of the rare blood-clotting syndrome known as VITT in Ontario in recent days after people received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or Ontario pauses AstraZeneca, and those with one dose ask: What now? Back to video
“This decision was made out of an abundance of caution due to an observed increase in the rare blood clotting syndrome known as VITT linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.
TORONTO The Ontario government is expanding its pharmacy vaccine rollout by bringing Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna into dozens of pharmacies heavily impacted by COVID-19 for people 18 years of age and older. So far, 78 pharmacies in Toronto and Peel Region are offering Pfizer, while Moderna is going to 60 pharmacies in York Region, Durham Regions, Hamilton, Windsor-Essex and Ottawa. Locations can be accessed online. “Specifically targeting the hardest hit areas, hopefully raise the vaccination rates and provide even more reasons for people to get vaccinated,” said Justin Bates with the Ontario Pharmacists Association. Ramon Lawrence, an essential worker, said he struggled booking his shot through the provincial system, but managed to get a walk-in appointment Saturday in Toronto’s Weston neighbourhood at Friendly Care West King Pharmacy.
Article content
Nearly 150 Ontario pharmacies, including some in Ottawa, started offering COVID-19 vaccines to all adults in hot spots this weekend.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or COVID-19: Ottawa pharmacies in hot spots offering vaccines to anyone over 18; 143 more people test positive in Ottawa Back to video
That government website lists 78 pharmacy locations in Toronto and Peel Region that now offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to people aged 18 and older. In Durham, Hamilton, Ottawa, Windsor and York Region, a total of 58 pharmacies are offering the Moderna shot to anyone in that age group.
Published Friday, May 7, 2021 11:01PM EDT Pharmacies in hot spot regions are now administering the two mRNA vaccines to people 18 years and older. A notice posted Friday on the provincial vaccine website announced the changes to the age eligibility. It said that individuals aged 18 and over can now get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in select pharmacies in Toronto and Peel Region. Previously, only those age 55 and up were able to get the Pfizer shot in 16 pharmacies in the public two health units as part of the province’s pilot program. Now, the Pfizer vaccine is available at 78 pharmacy locations in Toronto and Peel, according to the province’s website.
Posted: May 08, 2021 4:06 AM ET | Last Updated: May 8
Five Ottawa pharmacies have received a total of just 2,250 doses of the Moderna vaccine.(Dan Taekema/CBC)
Ottawa pharmacists say the limited number of Moderna doses being added to the vaccines they can administer won t be nearly enough to meet the growing demand as their supply of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine dries up.
While pharmacies in the province were originally offering only doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are now being administered at some locations. In Ottawa, five pharmacies in designated hot spots will be able to give out the Moderna vaccine.