Advisory panel says AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for seniors Mia Rabson Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
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Carlos Osorio/The Canadian Press
Canada’s expert vaccine panel said Tuesday there is now enough “real-world evidence” to show the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 shot is both safe and effective for seniors.
The decision from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) reverses its advice from March 1, when a lack of data for seniors in AstraZeneca’s clinical trials prompted the panel to not recommend it be used for people over 65. It said seniors should instead be prioritized for shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Trudeau expresses caution over use of COVID-19 ‘vaccine passports’ Cassandra Szklarski Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
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Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed caution Friday over the use of “vaccine passports,” suggesting they could unfairly impact some people if used to decide who can go to a concert or dine at a restaurant.
While Trudeau acknowledged that proof of a COVID-19 inoculation would not be out of place for travellers who already face similar requirements for other vaccines when embarking on international jaunts, he said such a scheme for everyday activities in Canada raises “questions of equity.”
Procurement Minister Anita Anand said in total Canada now has confirmed deliveries of 36.5 million doses of vaccines by Canada Day, which would be more than enough to get a single dose to each adult Canadian by then
Coupled with a new recommendation that provinces delay second doses of the other COVID-19 vaccines up to four months, Canada is likely to be able to offer one dose of vaccine to every adult before Canada Day
Health Canada approved the vaccine for use in people 18 and over, expressing confidence it would work for the elderly even though some countries have authorised it only for people under 65.