Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has joined other nations in recommending that Canadian Provinces halt injections of the experimental AstraZeneca COVID “vaccines” following concerns about blood clots and vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia (VIPIT).
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is recommending provinces pause the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine on those under the age of 55 because of safety concerns — guidance most provinces said today that they would follow.
The change comes following reports out of Europe of very rare instances of blood clots in some immunized patients — notably among younger women.
But 300,000 of these shots have been administered in Canada already, with no reports of blood clots here, officials said. The blood clotting problem also has not been reported in people who have received mRNA vaccines like the Pfizer and Moderna products.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Dr. Shelley Deeks, the vice-chair of NACI, said that with “substantial uncertainty” around cases of vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia (VIPIT) in people with low platelets, the committee is recommending the suspension of shots in all people under 55 as a “precautionary measure.”
Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said people who develop stroke-like medical symptoms after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine — shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, abdominal pain, sudden onset of headaches or blurred vision — should immediately seek medical attention. There is no risk for people who have not developed such symptoms 20 days post-vaccination.
Asked why the shot is still recommended for people over the age of 55 given the many unknowns, Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, the chair of NACI, said the early data indicate that the rare blood clots are most common in younger people.
Read the full article at Cbc.ca.
Earlier today, Germany also announced that they were suspending injections of the experimental AstraZeneca shots due to increasing reports of blood clots and deaths.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has reported that as of March 19, 2021 there have been 2,530 individual reports of adverse events following COVID injections, including 24 deaths.
Most of the injections so far have been from batches of the Pfizer and Moderna experimental COVID mRNA injections.
The PHAC admits that these reports are only “estimates” and may not accurately represent all injuries and deaths following the injections.
The data presented in this report are estimates and may not accurately represent national COVID-19 vaccine adverse events for the following reasons:
- There may be delays in receiving reporting forms and processing reporting forms which may contribute to variations in the amount of reports presented weekly. These delays may be due to jurisdictions investigating and reviewing each adverse event prior to submitting the information to PHAC. There are also limitations to reporting practices such as underreporting, missing information, and differing adverse event reporting practices across jurisdictions in Canada.
- Information is collected on individuals for whom an report was submitted, not on the total number of individuals who experience an adverse event as not every adverse event is reported.
- New information contained in this report may not be comprehensive but rather represents preliminary results of data received on a weekly basis.
Read the full report at health-infobase.canada.ca.
