ok to follow astrazeneca shot with a mrna vaccine dose: panel
the advice affects more than two million canadians who received the oxford-astrazeneca vaccine
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things you should know, briefly
- ontario reports seven-month low in new cases, 699
- ottawa reports 39 new cases, one additional death
- 601,801 doses of vaccine administered in ottawa as of sunday, 548,269 first doses and 53,532 second doses
the national advisory committee on immunization says people who received the oxford-astrazeneca vaccine as their first dose can get an mrna vaccine for their second.
the advice affects more than two million canadians who received the oxford-astrazeneca vaccine before provinces stopped using it for first doses last month.
a study in the united kingdom reported last month that mixing astrazeneca and pfizer-biontech as first and second doses led to more reports of short-lived side-effects like fevers and fatigue but was otherwise safe.
a spanish study has concluded a second dose of pfizer after a first dose of astrazeneca produced more than twice the antibodies as a second dose of astrazeneca.
all provinces paused the use of astrazeneca for first doses in may as reports of vaccine-induced blood clots rose, but are anxiously waiting for the naci advice on what to do with second doses.
manitoba didn’t wait for the advice, with health officials in that province announcing monday they would start offering pfizer-biontech or moderna as a second dose to astrazeneca recipients.
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almost 2.2 million canadians received the vaccine for their first dose, out of 21.8 million people now vaccinated with at least one dose.
there are 41 confirmed or suspected cases of vaccine-induced blood clots following an astrazeneca vaccination in canada, including five deaths.
the naci report also said when the same mrna vaccine product is not readily available, or is unknown, another mrna vaccine recommended for use in that age group can be considered interchangeable and should be offered to complete the vaccine series.
at a news conference tuesday, canada’s chief public health officer, dr. theresa tam, acknowledged that the naci report noted there was no data for the interchangeability of the two mrna vaccines, pfizer and moderna. however, there are ongoing studies that support the replacements have not been published at this time, she said.
both vaccines work in similar ways, attacking the “spike protein” of the virus.
tam said mixing vaccines is not a new concept and has been used in the past with other vaccines, depending on availability. the mixed schedule has a good safety profile, but there is the possibility of short-term side-effects such as headaches and fatigue, she said
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meanwhile, the wags on the ottawa public health social media team started off tuesday on a saucy note, using the toronto maple leafs’ humiliating 3-1 loss to the montreal canadiens to promote covid-19 safety.
“unlike the leafs, covid-19 is still active,” oph tweeted.
“wow. as a fan, last night was really difficult and today is a pretty crappy day,” responded one leafs buff. “hopefully you’ll have a little more respect for people’s mental health next time.”
just trying to get the message across, replied oph.
“as sens fans, we’re familiar with how this feels. at the end of the day, the leafs did everyone proud. hope your day gets better!”
in ontario, new case numbers on tuesday were the lowest reported in seven months. collectively, ontario reported 699 new confirmed cases, a significant drop from the 916 reported on monday, for a total of 532,158 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
there were nine new deaths in the province — a lower number compared to the 13 deaths reported on monday — for a total of 8,766 deaths. there are now 804 people in ontario hospitals with covid-19, including 583 in icu and 387 on a ventilator.
public health ontario reported 39 new cases in ottawa, with ottawa public health to release its numbers around noon.
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meanwhile the big question remains whether children will return to school. in its response to premier doug ford’s letter requesting the ontario covid-19 science advisory table’s advice last week, the expert panel said schools can reopen safely on a regional basis and warned of the mental health harms around keeping schools closed.
speaking monday at queen’s park, the premier said his government is still reviewing feedback but is getting closer to making a decision.
“we’ll have an announcement in the next day or two and we’ll get out there and make that announcement about going back to school or not,” ford said.
ontario’s stay-at-home order is set to expire on wednesday, but it will be about two more weeks before you can sit at an outdoor patio table with three friends and likely more than a month before you can get a haircut or send your child to overnight camp — assuming the camp will be ready to open.
on april 1, the ontario government imposed the province-wide “emergency brake” in response to a surge in covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, instituting a four-week stay-at-home order that was then extended until june 2.
among other measures, it prohibited indoor organized public events and social gatherings and limiting the capacity for outdoor organized public events or social gatherings to a five-person maximum, except for gatherings with members of the same household.
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it also restricted in-person shopping in all retail settings, including a 50-percent limit in pharmacies and stores that sell food as well as a 25 per cent limit for all other retail including big box stores and prohibited personal care services and indoor and outdoor dining except for drive-throughs, takeout and deliveries.
on may 22, the province allowed outdoor recreational amenities such as golf courses and tennis courts to reopen.
however, premier doug ford said at the time that the first step of a three-step re-opening plan will likely begin on the week of june 14, with a date to be confirmed later.
all non-essential businesses will still be closed until step 1, which will begin two weeks after 60 per cent of adults have received at least one dose of vaccine.
step 1 will permit outdoor gatherings for up to 10 people, outdoor dining with up to four people at a table and non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity.
step 2 will be initiated after 70 per cent of the population has received one dose and 20 per cent is fully vaccinated and will further expand outdoor activities and resuming limited indoor services with small numbers of people and with face coverings being worn.
the list includes outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people, outdoor sports and leagues, overnight camps, personal care services where face coverings can be worn and with capacity limits and indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies at 15 per cent capacity
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step 3 will include expanding access to indoor settings, with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where face coverings can’t always be worn. the list includes indoor sports and recreational fitness. indoor dining, museums, art galleries and libraries and casinos and bingo halls — with capacity limits.
last week, the provincial government extended certain orders under its emergency management and civil protection act until at least june 16.
among other activities, the extension will prohibit recreational camping on public lands and recreational interprovincial border crossings, extend the redeployment of staff and patients between ontario hospitals and border crossings.
latest covid-19 news in ottawa
ottawa public health reported 39 new cases on tuesday, with one additional death.
there have been 27,097 cases and 571 deaths since the pandemic began.
some 35 ottawa residents are in hospital with covid-19 symptoms, eight of them in icu.
the agency knows of 635 active cases in the region.
two new outbreaks have been reported in health-care facilities, with a total of 22 outbreaks ongoing. there were no new outbreaks in child-care or community categories, with a total of two outbreaks and four outbreaks respectively.
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among key monitoring indicators, the seven-day rolling average of new cases is 39.9, while the reproductive number is 0.95. the virus is considered to be receding if that number is below 1.0. the positivity rates for the most recent testing is 4.7.
as of sunday, the latest date available, there have been 601,801 doses of vaccine administered in ottawa, 548,269 first doses and 53,532 second doses.
latest covid-19 news in quebec
quebec reported 208 new confirmed cases of covid-19 tuesday, with five additional deaths.
the province has reported 370,527 cases and 11,133 deaths since the pandemic began.
there are 354 people in hospital, eight fewer than the last report. there were 89 patients in icu, a drop of one.
there have been 355,785 people who have recovered, quebec reported.
in the outaouais region, there were 16 new cases, bringing the total number to 12,201. the death toll remains unchanged at 214.
the province reported 79,798 vaccine doses were administered (77,495 doses in the previous 24 hours and 2,303 doses before may 30) for a total of 5,583,075;
national covid-19 news
the national advisory committee on immunization is set to issue guidance tuesday allowing people who received the oxford-astrazeneca vaccine as their first dose to get an mrna vaccine for their second.
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a study in the united kingdom reported last month that mixing astrazeneca and pfizer-biontech as first and second doses led to more reports of short-lived side-effects like fevers and fatigue but was otherwise safe.
a spanish study has concluded a second dose of pfizer after a first dose of astrazeneca produced more than twice the antibodies as a second dose of astrazeneca.
all provinces paused the use of astrazeneca for first doses in may as reports of vaccine-induced blood clots rose, but are anxiously waiting for the naci advice on what to do with second doses.
manitoba didn’t wait for the advice, with health officials in that province announcing monday they would start offering pfizer-biontech or moderna as a second dose to astrazeneca recipients.
there are 41 confirmed or suspected cases of vaccine-induced blood clots following an astrazeneca vaccination in canada, including five deaths.
almost 2.2 million canadians received the vaccine for their first dose, out of 21.8 million people now vaccinated with at least one dose.
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