Federal approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine forced some last-minute changes to the province’s vaccine roll-out plan.
Health Minister John Haggie says the new vaccine could be available in Canada as soon as late March.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says the AstraZeneca vaccine will provide more flexibility as it is stable at between 2 and 8 degrees and can be transported easily and stored in a fridge.
While the AstraZeneca vaccine’s efficacy is not as great as the two vaccines currently being used by Public Health, it still offers “pretty significant” protection says Dr. Fitzgerald.
Public Health is still looking at ways to incorporate AstraZeneca into the vaccination program.