Health Canada will not be changing its recommendations for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine despite new evidence suggesting a “stronger link” to blood clotting, the agency’s chief medical adviser, said on Wednesday.
“We didn’t find any specific risk factors, such as age or sex, so we are therefore not requiring that the vaccine label be updated to restrict the use of the vaccine at this time,” Dr. Supriya Sharma said.
In response to the new evidence, she said Health Canada has updated warnings on the vaccine’s label “so that Canadians can be informed of the side effects.”
She added the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) would be meeting again to discuss the vaccine’s age recommendations.
The news comes one day after provincial health authorities in Quebec reported that a woman had developed a blood clot shortly after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. She is recovering at home.
More to come.
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
