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Summary
- Health Canada confirmed AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine safety and stated that it had not obtained any reports citing thrombosis so far.
- The health department to add a warning indication to the vaccine’s Canadian label.
- Health Canada continues to be in regular contact with global regulators and vaccine manufacturers to examine all the evidence.
Health Canada has assured Canadians that Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is effective and safe. On 24 March 2021, the health department updated that it continues to support the COVID-19 vaccine even as it updated the label, providing information on unusual blood clots. These blood clots are associated with a low platelet count after getting the immunization shot.
Dr Theresa Tam, chief medical officer of Canada, stated:
Health Canada stated that so far, it has not obtained any reports citing blood clots. Canada’s vaccination drive has been accelerating, with over two million shots of the COVID-19 vaccine anticipated this week. The North American country is using AstraZeneca doses manufactured at the Serum Institute of India (SII) and has received 500,000 Covishield jabs. Moreover, the country is expected to receive another 1.5 million doses by May.
Canada to add a warning to the vaccine label
Health Canada revealed that the agency is working on adding a warning indication to the vaccine’s Canadian label because of the possible, though rare, probability of blood coagulation. The warning mentions that the vaccine administration does not intensify the overall risk of thrombosis, but it might trigger a very rare blood clot in the brain.
Last week, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also added such a warning after reports of blood clots in 38 individuals out of nearly 20 million who received AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
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The Canadian label warning advises individuals to seek immediate medical care if they develop any symptom of breath shortness, chest pain, leg swelling, or persistent abdominal pain after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The label also suggests seeking immediate medical attention if anyone experiences blurred vision, severe or persistent headaches, skin bruising or pinpoint round spots other than the vaccination site that appears after a few days.
However, the health department highlighted that it had evaluated the available data and has determined that AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has not been associated with a rise in the overall risk of thrombosis.
Moreover, Health Canada continues to be in regular contact with global regulators and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufacturers to examine all the evidence as it becomes available.
