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Canada on Monday suspended use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under the age of 55 over fears it could be linked to rare blood clots.
The break was recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization for safety reasons. The Canadian provinces, which administer health care in the country, announced the suspension on Monday.
“There is considerable uncertainty about the benefits of providing AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to adults under the age of 55 given the potential risks,” said Dr. Shelley Deeks, vice chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
Deeks said the updated recommendations came from new data from Europe that suggests the risk of blood clots is now potentially as high as one in 100,000, far higher than the risk of one in a million. it was believed before.
She said most of the patients in Europe who developed a rare blood clot after vaccination with AstraZeneca were women under the age of 55, and the death rate among those who develop clots can be as high as 40%.
Dr Joss Reimer, of the Manitoba Vaccine Implementation Task Force, said that despite the finding that there was no increased risk of AstraZeneca-related blood clots in Europe, a rare but very serious side effect has been observed mainly in young women in Europe.
Reimer said the rare type of blood clot usually occurs between four and 20 days after the vaccine, and symptoms may reflect a stroke or heart attack.
“Although we still believe that the benefits for all ages outweigh the risks that I’m not ‘probably’ comfortable with. I want to see more data coming out of Europe so that I know exactly what this risk-benefit analysis is, ”Reimer said.
The AstraZeneca shot, which has been licensed in more than 70 countries, is a mainstay of a UN-backed project known as Covax that aims to deliver Covid vaccines to poorer countries. It has also become a key tool in European countries’ efforts to boost their slow vaccine launches. This makes doubts about the plans particularly worrying.
“This vaccine has had all its ups and downs. It feels like a roller coaster ride, ”said Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, when asked if the latest news would lead to increased hesitation about vaccines.
Health Canada said it had not received any reports of blood clots in Canada, and the department’s chief medical adviser, Dr Supriya Sharma, said she still believed the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the benefits. risks.
Last week, the department changed its label on the vaccine to warn of the rare risk of blood clots.
Only those aged 60 and over received AstraZeneca in Ontario, the most populous province in Canada.
“We have no problem with those who have received it so far,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Ontario.
Several European countries that had suspended use of the vaccine over fears that it could cause blood clots resumed administering it after the European medicines regulator said the vaccine was safe.
The vaccine is widely used in Britain, mainland Europe and other countries, but its rollout has been marred by inconsistent study reports on its effectiveness, and then more recently by fear of clots that have brought some countries to temporarily suspend inoculations.
Canada is expected to receive 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca from the United States this week.
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