TRAVEL TARGETED

■ 1,168 new cases, six deaths ■ Hospitals need help ■ Restrictions extended

“Variants are growing exponentially. And you can't compete with exponential growth.” — UBC epidemiologist Sarah Otto

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine could soon be back in use for adults of all ages in British Columbia, following a Health Canada assessment that its benefits far outweigh the risks of some people developing blood clots.

“We are pleased to see (Wednesday's) Health Canada assessment and decision on the AstraZeneca vaccine,” B.C.'s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Wednesday as she reported 1,168 COVID cases over the past day, six deaths, and a record 397 people in hospital.

“We await the recommendations from the National Advisory Council on Immunization to determine how to best use this vaccine going forward to further enhance our protection.”

On March 29, the Advisory Council on Immunization said that AstraZeneca should not be used on people under 55 after blood clots were reported in that age group after taking the vaccine. Canada has had one blood-clotting case linked to the vaccine and the woman survived.

This meant B.C. had to cut its program offering AstraZeneca to front-line workers, many of whom were under 55.

Those doses were offered to people aged 55 and over through pharmacies.

On Wednesday, Health Canada spokesperson Dr. Supriya Sharma said there should be no limits on the use of the vaccine to any specific adult age group or sex. However, a warning label would be added to the product advising of clot risk.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization must decide whether to back the Health Canada statement, as it governs vaccine use in Canada.

Henry said there were 9,821 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., with 16,304 people under public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases.

“Of the active cases, 397 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 120 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation,” she said.

Health authorities administered almost 42,000 doses of vaccine across B.C. over the last day.

So far, around 25 per cent of all adults in B.C. have received at least one of the 1,190,832 doses administered.

ARLEN REDEKOP FILES Ian Martin receives a vaccination shot in the upper arm at the Tsleil-Waututh Nation COVID-19 immunization clinic in North Vancouver on March 25.

DON CRAIG/GOVERNMENT OF B.C. FILES Dr. Bonnie Henry says she's happy to hear Health Canada believes benefits from the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh any risks.