A doctor who specializes in infectious disease and immunology says changes are expected when it comes to vaccines as new data and information becomes available.
About 1.5-million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine were expected to arrive in Canada from the United States today. All provinces and territories suspended the use of the vaccine for anyone under 55, yesterday, pending the results of further study into a possible link to rare blood clots.
Dr. Lisa Barrett, an assistant professor in the department of medicine at Dalhousie University, says the cases of blood clots are very rare. The situation surrounding the vaccine is ever-evolving, and she says it makes sense to pause and respond to the latest data and information.
Dr. Barrett says health officials could have better relayed that the circumstances surrounding the vaccine are expected to change, but that it doesn’t mean there’s a lack of safety—it means health officials are responding to different data. She contends that if officials did not respond and adjust to new information, they would not be taking the best course of action for the public.
Dr. Barrett says Canada has not reported any cases of the rare blood clots, but suggests that you should know the symptoms.
If you have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in the past two weeks, monitor for:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Leg swelling
- Persistent abdominal pain
- Sudden onset of severe or persistent worsening headaches
- Blurred vision
- Skin bruising (other than at the site of vaccination)
If any of those symptoms become present, seek medical attention.
Dr. Barrett notes that the issue is treatable when it’s recognized.