Canada has not received any AstraZenecaCOVID-19 vaccines that were part of the batch under investigation for blood clots, Health Canada confirmed on Sunday.
The agency said it had been informed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that “several countries in Europe have either temporarily paused the use of specific batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine or use of the AstraZeneca vaccine altogether as a precautionary measure, pending the outcome of the EMA’s investigation,” in an emailed statement to Global News on Sunday.
However, Health Canada noted “none of the identified batches under investigation have been shipped to Canada.”
“To date, no adverse events related to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, or the version manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, have been reported to Health Canada or the Public Health Agency of Canada,” they said.
The news comes hours after AstraZeneca Plc announced it had conducted a review of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine and found no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
“A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and UK with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country,” the statement said.
AstraZeneca’s comments echoed that of Health Canada, who told Global News that it would continue to move forward with administering the vaccine despite the suspensions. The agency said the benefits of the vaccine “continue to outweigh the risks” and that it still “meets Canada’s stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements.”
Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and other European countries have temporarily suspended the shot after reports some recipients formed blood clots after vaccination.
Ireland’s deputy chief medical officer said Sunday the country had recommended the suspension of the vaccine’s rollout “out of an abundance of caution” pending further investigation. Similarly, Denmark’s decision to suspend the vaccine on Thursday was based on a “precautionary principle.”
4:51 Is the AstraZeneca vaccine safe for Canadians? Doctor answers our COVID-19 questions
Is the AstraZeneca vaccine safe for Canadians? Doctor answers our COVID-19 questions
One person who developed a blood clot after vaccination died 10 days later, though health officials there said there is currently no evidence the vaccine was responsible.
Authorities suspect the issues stem from a particular batch of the shot manufactured in Europe.
Earlier, AstraZeneca said there were no confirmed issues related to quality of any of its COVID-19 vaccine batches used across Europe and rest of the world.
Just days before the suspensions, Austria announced it would stop using a batch of AstraZeneca’s vaccine after one person died and another was hospitalized. Denmark officials said the woman who died several days after vaccination was given a shot from the same batch used in Austria.
Canada’s initial 500,000 doses of the shot have been manufactured by the Serum Institute in India. In total, two million will come through that agreement. A further 20 million doses already secured with AstraZeneca will start to arrive in the spring.
Canadian experts welcomed the investigation, saying any adverse reaction to vaccines warrants a review, but suggest the suspensions may be “premature” since there’s nothing definitively linking the vaccine and blood clots.
“There have been millions and millions of doses of this vaccine administered to date and to date we have not yet heard about any signal of this happening,” Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert based out of Toronto General Hospital, told Global News on Thursday.
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Dr. Supriya Sharma, Health Canada’s chief medical adviser, also backed the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday, saying there is no scientific explanation to suggest a link between the vaccine and blood clots so far.
“There’s not a good biological explanation about why a vaccine of this type, injected into a muscle, would cause that kind of adverse event,” said Sharma, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
4:01 Possible side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine
Possible side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine
She added Health Canada has a “really low threshold” for adverse events that could trigger a pause in a vaccine’s use, but that the agency would pause without hesitation if an adverse event met its requirements.
But the reports from Denmark add yet another layer of complexity to a vaccine already embroiled in contention.
The shot has been given different guidelines for use in different countries and jurisdictions. Health Canada has approved the vaccine for people over 18, but the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended the shot not be given to people over the age of 65.
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Experts acknowledge more precise data is needed to smooth things out, but stress that the conflicting guidelines don’t mean the shot is unsafe for seniors, nor should it diminish its clear benefits.
“These are our fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers,” said Sharma. “We want to make sure that we’re doing the best for all of them as well.”
— With files from Global News’ Hannah Jackson, the Canadian Press, the Associated Press and Reuters
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
