Albertans who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine say even though the program has been paused for those under 55 years old they have no regrets about rolling up their sleeves.
On Monday, the province announced it would pause the distribution of AstraZeneca vaccines to those under 55, in alignment with a recommendation from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, in light of rare instances of blood clots in people in Europe.
There have been no reports of this happening in Alberta or anywhere else in the country, but the move is a precaution while more research is conducted.
Dr. Shelley Deeks, vice-chair of the NACI, said the committee has “determined there is substantial uncertainty” around the benefit of providing AstraZeneca to adults under 55 years of age given the potential risk.
Deeks said the majority of the cases of the adverse effect — known as vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT) — have been identified in women under the age of 55. However, she said cases in men have also been reported.
About 900 Albertans under the age of 55 have received one dose of AstraZeneca. Hinshaw said those who have already received the dose of AstraZeneca are not considered to be at high risk of blood clots.
“This is a very rare condition… the most common event is one in 25,000 doses in that Norwegian report… ranging to one in one million,” Hinshaw said Monday.
“The risk, I believe, to be extremely low. And we do not believe this is likely to happen but we are taking a precautionary approach.”
Graham Reid, 59, of Edmonton received his AstraZeneca vaccine on March 21. He decided to pull the trigger, even though his age group was told they could wait until later in the year to receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine instead.
“My thinking was, if I get this now versus waiting – I would have been in group 2C – then I actually have some protection against getting COVID for the next two to three months,” he said.
“If I did get it, it’s almost 100 per cent effective against hospitalization and severe illness. I would rather take that and not end up in the hospital than wait for a potentially better solution two, three, four months down the road.”
Though Reid is over 55, he still paid attention to the news about the change in AstraZeneca distribution.
“Well (my first thought) was, oh well, I can’t do anything about it. I already have it,” he said.
“But hearing about that, I likened it to the initial (recommendation) saying not over 65. Something came up and they’re erring on the side of caution while more research is done… I didn’t have any fears going forward that something was going to happen to me as a result of that announcement.”
NACI originally recommended the vaccine not be given to those over 65 then it reversed course to say it could be given to those over 65.
READ MORE: Why does AstraZeneca vaccine guidance keep changing? Experts weigh in
“Things were changing on a weekly basis, it seems. We could wait – everybody could have waited for a vaccine six months or eight months more to say, ‘OK, we finally got the best one possible and there are no side effects.’ In the meantime, who knows what could have happened in terms of people getting sick and dying,” Reid said.
The recent announcements have not shaken his faith in science.
“We’re in a time where things are in flux. Things will go up and down. But if you trust the science and the people behind it all, I just think overall we’re in a better place,” he said.
Scott Gibson Dodd, 60, of Edmonton received his vaccine on March 19. Though he is also over 55, the news of the rare blood clots has not changed Gibson Dodd’s mind about receiving it.
“Even one in 100,000 is not a terrible concern. I think the death rate and certainly the infection rate is much higher than one in 100,000,” Gibson Dodd said.
The retired teacher said it’s a miracle that vaccines have been produced for COVID-19 so quickly and he trusts the scientific process.
“Are there going to be bumps and hiccups? There are going to be. This is the age we’re living in. As vaccine recipients, we have to be fluid and we have to be responsive,” Gibson Dodd said.
Dr. Ilan Schwartz, an infectious diseases professor at the University of Alberta, said the pause of AstraZeneca puts a dent in the province’s distribution plans.
“This is thought to be the work horse among the vaccines in the stable. Certainly it was anticipated the main advantage of this vaccine was that it would be administered in a variety of settings, including in pharmacies. There was hope this would be more accessible to people across the province,” he said.
Schwartz is concerned that confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine will wane following a series of unfortunate events, including a trial that did not include enough people 65 and over and the manufacturer misrepresenting efficacy numbers in the United States following a trial in that country.
READ MORE: AstraZeneca says COVID-19 vaccine now 76% effective after updating U.S. trial data
“Because of all those previous foibles, there’s really no room for error and so of course there’s going to be hesitancy. I appreciate that,” he said.
“I still have recommended my parents to get whichever vaccine they’re offered. So certainly individuals that are over 55 that still qualify for AstraZeneca, I would recommend they get it rather than waiting for another vaccine that might be available to them in the future.”
Schwartz stressed that the issues with AstraZeneca show that the system is working.
“The data is being monitored in real time – that when there are concerning signals in that data, even if it’s not from Canada as is the case with blood clots, that appropriate diligence is being paid and appropriate action when deemed warranted is being taken in order to make sure people are only receiving vaccines that are both efficacious and safe,” he said.
-with files from Amanda Connolly, Emily Mertz