The Middlesex-London Health Unit‘s medical officer of health is reassuring the public that if they chose to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, they “made the right choice.”
Dr. Chris Mackie’s comments come a day after the province announced it was pausing the its use due to safety- and supply-related issues.
It also comes ahead of an expected increase in shipments of Moderna‘s vaccine, to be made available through select primary care providers as well as some pharmacies.
The province announced Tuesday it was pausing the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, in part, out of an abundance of caution over an extremely rare but potentially fatal blood clotting disorder called vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), linked to the shot.
Even before that announcement, the province had said that Ontario would likely mix and match vaccine doses for recipients who got a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine due to supply issues.
Over 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to be delivered to Ontario next week will be used as second doses, the province said Wednesday, though it did not elaborate on booking details for the second shot.
Neuroscientist, biologist and science communicator Samantha Yammine believes the province’s choice to pause the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine was a “pretty fair decision” but says communication has been lacking.
Due to a significant amount of mRNA vaccine doses coming in, a decreasing supply of AstraZeneca, decreasing COVID-19 rates, and the fact that levels of VITT are “a little bit higher than we thought a month ago,” Yammine says “the decision makes sense now.”
“I wish this whole thing had just been communicated a little more clearly and, more importantly, that we weren’t in a crisis in Ontario so we could have the pause to really think about what decision makes sense for each person.”
On Wednesday, Mackie stressed that the rate of blood clots tied to the vaccine “still pales in comparison to the burden of illness from COVID-19 that these doses of vaccine prevented.”
“To go unprotected at a time when COVID was circulating intensely in the community would have been a mistake. I recommended AstraZeneca to family members and close friends and I’m glad I did.”
Gigi Dini, pharmacist and manager of Dini I.D.A. Pharmacy at Westmount Shopping Centre, says she was disappointed by the province’s choice to pause the use of AstraZeneca.
“I still feel that it’s safe. The patients who had their vaccination here… we haven’t seen any of these reactions so far. And in most cases, depending on their symptoms, we refer them to the family doctor or we tell them that if the symptom is severe — like a very bad headache, difficulty breathing, pain in leg — we advise that they go to emergency. But so far we haven’t seen a bad case.”
Dini says they administered all of the AstraZeneca doses in their supply before the province’s announcement and she’s not sure yet whether they will receive more so that people can get a second dose or if those who received the shot will instead get a second dose of a different vaccine.
However, Dini I.D.A. Pharmacy is among the locations that will be offering the Moderna vaccine, starting next week. Information on pharmacies offering vaccine as of May 12 can be found on the province’s COVID-19 website.
A spokesperson for Rexall, meanwhile, says its pharmacies have cancelled existing appointments and “will reach out to patients when it becomes their turn to book an appointment with a new COVID-19 vaccine. Patients that have had their appointments cancelled are being prioritized at the top of the waitlist for when an alternative arrives.”
The MLHU is not involved in vaccinations at pharmacies, but tells Global News that the Moderna vaccine will also be offered to select primary care providers as part of a pilot project.
The health unit tells Global News that 1,230 Moderna doses will be distributed to 23 primary care locations next week.
Primary care providers involved in the pilot are actively reaching out to their patients, the health unit adds.
— with files from Global News’ Nick Westoll and Gabby Rodrigues as well as The Canadian Press.
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