16.61°C Vancouver 16.61°C VancouverMar 29, 2021 8:37 PM -
Federal immunization experts changed their recommendations for the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization says the vaccine should not be used on people under the age of 55.
Health Canada is asking AstraZeneca to do a full analysis of the risks of its vaccine across all age groups and genders, following additional reports of patients in Europe developing blood clots.
Dr. Supriya Sharma, the chief medical adviser at Health Canada, says there have been no blood clots reported in Canada to date and still believes the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risks.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was approved last month for everyone over 18.
But at the time, the vaccine committee said there weren't enough seniors included in clinical trials to be confident about how the vaccine would perform on people over the age of 65.
Both Prince Edward Island and Quebec have now suspended their use of the shot in younger patients.
