COVID-19: Ontario Will Offer Second Doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine – May 21, 2021
In a virtual news conference, Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, and Dr. Dirk Huyer, coordinator of the provincial outbreak response, provide an update on the status of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the province.
Dr. Williams announces that the province will proceed with the administering of second doses of AstraZeneca, beginning with those who received their first dose of the vaccine between March 10 and March 19. Beginning the week of May 24, eligible individuals can contact the pharmacy or primary care provider where they received their first dose to book an appointment. For a limited time during this week, people can opt to receive their second dose at an earlier 10-week interval instead of 12 weeks. On May 11, 2021, Ontario said that it would pause the administering of first doses of AstraZeneca in response to new data concerning the relative likelihood of incidences of rare blood clots linked to the vaccine. The province currently has about 55,000 doses of AstraZeneca that are set to expire on May 31.