COVID-19: Canada Responds
Canada Pauses Use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine for People Under 55
During a virtual briefing, Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer, announces that Canada is pausing the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for adults under age 55, following new guidelines from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). The recommendation comes following reports from Europe of rare but serious blood clots that have occurred after administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, the vaccine remains available for people 55 and over. Dr. Njoo is joined by Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser with Health Canada; Dr. Marc Berthiaume, the director of the Bureau of Medical Science at Health Canada; , Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, chair of NACI; Dr. Shelley Deeks, vice-chair of NACI; and Dr. Matthew Tunis, executive secretary of NACI. (March 29, 2021)
