VACCINATION. The Federal Ministry has decided to update the label of these vaccines “to provide information on very rare cases of blood clots associated with low blood platelets following administration of the Astra Zeneca vaccine.”
Health Canada has provided an update on the administration of more than 300,000 doses of Astra Zeneca vaccine in its Covishield version since early March and to date, none of these very rare events have been reported to Health Canada.
It was explained more precisely that none of the three cases of thromboembolic episodes reported was linked to these rare effects detected in Europe, namely in particular the appearance of a blood clot. The federal ministry said researchers in Europe had said they had determined the possible cause of the events that occurred after taking the implicated vaccine, but noted that there was little information on this new research.
Ottawa announced that the review of available data and expert consultations will continue with regulatory agencies in other countries as well as manufacturer Astra Zeneca. The label update is helping to disseminate guidance to healthcare professionals and people who have been vaccinated about possible symptoms to watch out for, according to a release.
25 cases of blood clots have been reported out of some 20 million doses of Astra Zeneca vaccine administered in Europe. Canada will receive 1.5 million doses of this vaccine from the United States this week. Several countries including Finland, Iceland and Sweden have reversed their decision to discontinue administration of this vaccine, which is 76% effective according to the latest update from the Swedish-British manufacturer.
Mild and temporary adverse events, such as headache, fever, fatigue or tenderness at the injection site, are common after any vaccine, according to Health Canada’s text that recommends reporting to healthcare professionals any adverse event that has occurred following vaccination.
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