Despite zero reports of blood clots linked to doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Alberta, the province is following the recommendation of Health Canada and putting a pause on AstraZeneca vaccine doses for people under the age of 55. Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw says there HAVE been some issues in European countries, with instances ranging from about one in 25,000 doses given in Norway to about one in million doses given in the UK.
“This is a very rare outcome and we are pausing out of a sense of precaution and wanting to make sure that we do extra work to be able to offer detailed information to anyone under the age of 55 if we are to restart offering this vaccine to those in the future.”
About 900 Albertans under the age of 55 have received the AstraZeneca vaccine. While Hinshaw says they are not considered high-risk for a blood clot they are still encouraged to watch for potential issues.
Earlier Monday, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization announced it is recommending AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine not be administered to people under the age of 55.