As a number of countries suspend the use of AstraZeneca‘s COVID-19 vaccine, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health is assuring residents the doses here are safe.
On Thursday, Denmark, Norway and Iceland joined Austria in suspending that vaccine after reports of the formation of blood clots in some people who have been vaccinated.
Austria is currently investigating a death from coagulation disorders and an illness from a pulmonary embolism.
“I want to assure everyone that the current doses of CoviShield AstraZeneca currently offered in Alberta have not been linked to these issues,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Thursday afternoon.
Alberta is using CoviShield, the brand name of a vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India that is considered to be AstraZeneca’s equivalent by Health Canada, Hinshaw said.
While Hinshaw said there is no indication the vaccine caused the events reported in Austria, Hinshaw said Canada has a “robust” surveillance system in place to detect any rare occurrences that may be connected to any COVID-19 vaccine.
“We will continue watching closely and monitoring every dose of the vaccine in Alberta,” she said.
“Canadians can feel confident that the review process for each vaccine was rigorous,” Hinshaw said. “They can trust that there are systems in place to continue monitoring the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines after authorization.”
Hinshaw said countries that have suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine have done so out of an “abundance of caution” while the investigation is ongoing. She said it was important to note more than 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered in the U.K. with no indication blood clots have happened in those who’ve received the shot more often than in the general population.
“Blood clots happen in the general public for a number of different reasons and there is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these events,” she said.
According to a statement from the province, Alberta continues to only administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to healthy adults aged 64 and under.
The vaccine has shown to reduce infection by up to 70 per cent and severe outcomes like hospitalization by up to 80 per cent.
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As of 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Hinshaw said more than 23,000 Albertans were signed up to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Hinshaw also announced the province is opening up vaccine eligibility to four more groups of Albertans.
As of 8 a.m. on Friday, Albertans born in 1959 and 1960 can go online or call 811 to book a vaccination appointment.
First Nations, Metis and Inuit born in 1974 and 1975 will also be eligible for vaccine at the same time.
To date, Alberta has administered more than 317,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and more than 91,000 Albertans are fully immunized.
The concerns surrounding blood clots have given pause to some Albertans, but others, like 64-year-old Glen Kerr, is putting his trust in Canada’s health care system and its health officials.
Kerr was vaccinated Thursday morning with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Despite the suspensions in other countries, he said he’s not concerned about it, weighing the rewards against the risks.
“I’ve seen the stuff from Health Canada and AHS saying the AstraZeneca is safe. I’m happy to go with that,” he said.
“I’m feeling good and a bit relieved that I actually got a vaccine… Makes you feel great. And it’s kind of amazing that (there’s a) vaccine out in a year,” he said.
Kerr is one of thousands of Albertans rolling up their sleeves. Others, like Gwen McMullen, have booked their AstraZeneca shot. She is booked for Tuesday.
McMullen first heard about the suspensions in European countries when she spoke to Global News.
Daily numbers
Alberta has confirmed an additional 364 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours. About 10,200 tests were completed, putting the provincial positivity rate at about four per cent.
There were 259 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 38 of those in the ICU.
Alberta has confirmed 41 more cases of COVID-19 variant, bringing the total number identified to 775 to date.
There were alerts or outbreaks in 256 schools. There have been 1,117 cases in Alberta schools since Jan. 11.
Five more deaths due to COVID-19 were reported to Alberta Health over the last 24 hours, Hinshaw said.
Three of the deaths were reported in the Edmonton zone. A woman in her 80s linked to the outbreak at Churchill Manor and a man in his 60s linked to the Misericordia Community Hospital have both died.
A man in his 70s has also died in the region. All three cases included comorbidities.
Elsewhere around the province, a man in his 50s in the North zone has died. Alberta Health said there were no known comorbidities.
A woman in her 40s in the South zone has also died. Her case included comorbidities.
“Every death represents a person who was loved by family and friends and who will be mourned,” Hinshaw said.
Thursday also marked a national day of remembrance for all those lost to COVID-19 over the past year.
As of Thursday’s update, 1,933 Albertans have died due to the novel coronavirus. Canada has recorded more than 22,000 deaths and there have been more than two million lives lost worldwide.
“My deepest condolences go to everyone who is grieving and to everyone who has had to deal with loss during this challenging time,” Hinshaw said.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro also marked the occasion by mentioning the five Albertans who worked in continuing care who have died due to COVID-19.
“Their loved ones will hold each of them in their hearts and, as a government, we will honour them by working to protect Albertans and by working to strengthen our continuing care system and our health system as a whole.”
Alberta announced it is expanding its rapid testing program by rolling out more than 924,000 tests in the coming days. The tests will be deployed to oil and gas companies, a pilot program at two schools in Calgary, WestJet and to workers in banking, telecommunications and transportation.
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