By Canadian Press

National advisory committee recommends AstraZeneca vaccine for people 30 and older

Apr 23, 2021 | 11:50 AM

OTTAWA — A national advisory panel recommends people 30 and older can get a shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine if they do not want to wait for an alternative. 

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization provided the update in a briefing today. 

The committee initially recommended a pause on using AstraZeneca shots for people younger than 55 out of an abundance of caution after reports of rare blood clots. 

It says Health Canada released a safety assessment that showed the benefits of the shots outweigh the risks, which the committee also evaluated.

Although provinces initially paused giving AstraZeneca shots to younger people based on the committee’s advice, some have since started administering it to people over 40, given the current spread of the virus.

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The committee says the blood clots are rare, and people have an individual choice if they would rather wait to take the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2021.

The Canadian Press