Broaden Astrazeneca age group, doctors urge

Doctors say the Oxford-astrazeneca vaccine should be offered to Canadians in a wider age range as COVID -19 infections soar in many parts of the country.

Provinces limited eligibility for that vaccine to those 55 and older after a small number of cases of an unusual and serious blood-clotting condition appeared in younger people, mostly women, who had received a shot.

The odds of someone getting the syndrome has been estimated at between one in 100,000 and one in 250,000. By comparison, about one in four people hospitalized with COVID -19 will experience a blood clot, Alberta's chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said this week.

“Certainly based on risks, most people are much better off with a vaccine,” said Dr. Daniel Gregson, an associate professor at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine.

Dr. Susy Hota, medical director of infection prevention and control at Toronto's University Health Network, said she would also support dropping the age limit, as long as recipients are aware of the risk, however small. “I think it's an important strategy we need to consider.”

Alberta's chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said: “We will be discussing this question with our Alberta Advisory Committee on Immunization this week to get their perspective.”

In the meantime, Hinshaw is urging anyone who is already eligible to get their Astrazeneca dose without delay.