EDMONTON – Alberta has stopped administering first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in favour of other types of immunization.
The province says the move is partly due to the greater supply of mRNA shots, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna ones, but a recent Globe and Mail reports adds the shift is partly due to concerns over a rare blood clot condition linked to AstraZeneca.
The newspaper quotes Kristin Klein, the co-lead of the province’s vaccine task force, as saying AstraZeneca shots will still be made available to those who don’t want an mRNA vaccine or can’t receive one for health reasons.
She also says in the report that a decision has not yet been made on what shot will be administered as a second dose to those who were already given a shot of AstraZeneca.
A spokesperson for the government told 660 NEWS that the move mainly comes down to a lack of consistent shipments of the vaccine. Since there are no known future shipments, reads a statement, a decision was made to use the remaining AstraZeneca doses as people’s second shots.
“Alberta has administered approximately 255,000 first doses of AstraZeneca. The remaining supply of about 8,400 doses will be used as second doses,” reads a statement from the province.
“Unlike with AstraZeneca, Alberta is receiving the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in large and consistent shipments. More than 236,000 doses are arriving this week alone.”
Use of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been under added scrutiny in recent weeks, particularly after Canada’s panel of vaccine experts recommended that people who aren’t at a high risk of COVID-19 may want to wait to get a dose of BioNTech or Moderna.
The province says it will continue to monitor emerging research and keep Albertans informed. It says it will also continue to adapt to the available vaccine supply.
Ontario, meanwhile, became the latest province to indicate Monday it will likely allow people to mix COVID-19 vaccine brands on the second dose as more Pfizer and Moderna shipments arrive.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2021.
The Canadian Press
