Experts urge eligible to get Astrazeneca vaccine

As Alberta expands accessibility for those eligible to receive the Astrazeneca vaccine, experts are urging the public not to let those doses go to waste, amid concerns over uptake.

More than 11,700 doses of Alberta's most recent shipment of Astrazeneca have already been administered, which is in addition to the roughly 58,000 shots of the COVID -19 vaccine given in March. There is concern, however, that Alberta's temporary suspension of Astrazeneca for people under 55 years — and rampant misinformation online — has led to increased hesitancy to get the vaccine.

“It is still the case that the best vaccine for you is the one that has been recommended and is first available to you. We have to make sure that message gets out again and again,” said Timothy Caulfield, University of Alberta professor of health law and science policy.

Caulfield waited in line Monday afternoon to receive his first jab of Astrazeneca vaccine at the rapid-flow vaccination site at the Edmonton Expo Centre — one of two sites that opened in the province on Monday. A rapid immunization clinic also opened for Astrazeneca appointments at Calgary's Telus Convention Centre.

Long lines were seen at both clinics on Monday, however, thousands of appointment slots remain open online. On Saturday, Premier Jason Kenney mentioned the vaccine hesitancy might make it so Alberta can't administer its entire Astrazeneca inventory.

“The Astrazeneca rollout is worrisome, the reaction to it. But there is good news that, in general, vaccination acceptance continues to rise,” said Caulfield.

A public engagement strategy that meets the misinformation where it's being shared — largely on social media — is imperative to combat hesitancy among the “movable middle,” those who haven't yet made up their minds, Caulfield explained.

“Many in the movable middle just have questions that need to be answered. We need to give them assurances and that's something we can do,” Caulfield said. “And we need to counter misinformation as soon as it emerges.”

The province joined the rest of Canada in temporarily suspending the use of Astrazeneca vaccine for people under 55 in March due to concerns about very rare instances of blood clots in some immunized patients in Europe. Its use has been discontinued or age-limited by a number of countries.

Currently, in Alberta, healthy adults aged 55 to 64 are eligible for the Astrazeneca vaccine, as it has proven highly effective in preventing serious illness and death in adults. The first dose reduces infection by 60 to 70 per cent and hospitalizations by 80 per cent.

Alberta Health spokesman Tom Mcmillan said the province will continue to follow the National Advisory Committee on Immunization's recommendations on the use of Astrazeneca.

A recent Angus Reid Institute poll found that only 41 per cent of Canadians intending to be vaccinated would be comfortable receiving the Astrazeneca vaccine — a product that comprises about 20 per cent of the nation's immunization stockpile. By comparison, 92 per cent of Canadians said they were comfortable with receiving the Pfizer-biontech vaccine.

Among the vaccine-willing, 23 per cent said they'd outright reject Astrazeneca. Skepticism isn't surprising, said Dr. Cora Constantinescu, a disease specialist.

But she said it's crucial people embrace that vaccine if it's the first one offered to them.

“I've seen that (hesitancy) but we're in the middle of a horrible third wave and this vaccine can prevent diseases, hospitalizations and deaths,” said Constantinescu.