Canada Vaccine Panel Recommends Against AstraZeneca PLC for Second Dose
June 17 2021 - 6:14PM
Dow Jones News
By Kim Mackrael
OTTAWA--A Canadian vaccine panel said Thursday that people who
received a first dose of AstraZeneca PLC's vaccine against Covid-19
should get a different vaccine for their second dose.
Canada's national advisory panel on immunization said earlier
this month that authorized Covid-19 vaccines could be mixed, and
noted some people might prefer to get a messenger RNA vaccine for
their second shot. The panel has previously said mRNA vaccines,
such as the ones produced by Pfizer Inc. in partnership with
BioNTech SE, as well as Moderna Inc., are preferable to viral
vector vaccines, such as those developed by AstraZeneca and Johnson
& Johnson.
On Thursday, it changed its advice to recommend against the use
of AstraZeneca's vaccine in most cases.
"An mRNA vaccine should now be offered as the second dose for
individuals who received a first dose" of AstraZeneca's vaccine,
said Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada's deputy chief public health officer.
People who are getting their first vaccine dose should also be
offered an mRNA vaccine unless they have a contraindication or none
of those vaccines are available, he said.
Dr. Njoo said the advisory panel's advice is based on emerging
evidence that shows a potentially better immune response from a
mixed vaccine schedule, and concerns about blood clotting
associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Another factor the
advisory panel considered is the increased availability of mRNA
vaccines in Canada, he said.
The panel's recommendations aren't binding, but tend to be
followed by provinces in Canada, which are responsible for
delivering health care.
After a sluggish start earlier in the year, Canada has sharply
increased its administration of Covid-19 vaccines in recent months.
Nearly 66% of the population had received at least one dose of a
Covid-19 vaccine as of June 16, although just 15% of the population
is fully vaccinated.
Write to Kim Mackrael at kim.mackrael@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 17, 2021 18:05 ET (22:05 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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