OTTAWA — Canadian health authorities are keeping a watchful eye on European investigations of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of blood clots following inoculations, but say there is no evidence they were caused by the vaccine.
At least nine European countries are pausing their use of AstraZeneca’s doses — some entirely, and others only on specific batches — pending further investigation of the clots.
The European Medicines Agency is probing the issue but says 30 blood clots in more than five million patients who received the vaccine is not out of step with the normal rate of blood clots in the general population.
Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious disease doctor at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, said that Health Canada is constantly reviewing data on vaccines and it is a normal part of the post-approval process to see these types of investigations occur.
He said he will give the vaccine as planned to his patients unless Health Canada changes its current decision that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
Alberta’s top doctor, Dr. Deena Hinshaw took to Twitter to reassure Albertans about the AstraZeneca vaccine.
I want to assure Albertans that the current doses of COVIShield AstraZeneca vaccine offered in Alberta have not been linked to the side effects issues reported in some European countries linked to one lot of vaccine. (1/4)
— Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health (@CMOH_Alberta) March 11, 2021
In the series of tweets Hinshaw said the current doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine offered in Alberta have not been linked to the side effects issues reported in those countries.
She added the province is currently using COVIShield, the brand name of a vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India, which is considered equivalent to AstraZeneca by Health Canada.
“Canada has a robust surveillance system in place to detect rare occurrences that may or may not be related to vaccine” Hinshaw said. “It is important to note these are extremely rare events in an area that is using a lot of this vaccine.”
Hinshaw concluded by saying that there is no indication those AstraZeneca vaccines have caused the severe side effects and the actions many countries have taken is out of an abundance of caution.
Canada’s first 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in provinces this week, but they were made in India, not in the same European facilities where the doses in question were produced.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2021.
The Canadian Press
