On Monday, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) issued the new guidelines due to concerns over reports of blood clots. While chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam called the move a “precautionary measure,” concerns about vaccine hesitancy bubbled up among experts.
Still, Trudeau says Canadians should jump at the opportunity to receive any COVID-19 jab – including the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“The bottom line for Canadians is the right vaccine for you to take is the very first vaccine that you are offered,” he said, speaking in a press conference on Tuesday.
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7:45 How are you affected by the AstraZeneca guideline changes? Doctor answers your COVID-19 vaccination questions
How are you affected by the AstraZeneca guideline changes? Doctor answers your COVID-19 vaccination questions
He acknowledged that the hesitancy surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine is “certainly something that is on (the government’s) mind,” but that getting the population vaccinated is the key to containing the deadly spread of the virus.
“The more we get Canadians vaccinated, quickly and safely, the quicker we’ll be able to get back to a semblance of normality,” Trudeau said.
“With the variants that are more severe and more transmissible increasing around the population, we need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to get through this.”
Speaking to Global News in an interview on Monday, experts explained that despite the fact that Health Canada hit pause on the AstraZeneca jabs for those under the age of 55, Canadians who are still allowed to get the vaccine should feel very safe doing so.
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“You’re starting to get in the odds of, you’re going to get hit by lightning going to the vaccine appointment, (rather) than getting this complication,” said Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious disease specialist.
“It’s not zero, but again, you live in a world where COVID-19 is rising, where, again, people’s complications are rising… this is a balance.”
3:48 NACI issues new guidelines on using AstraZeneca shot for people under 55
NACI issues new guidelines on using AstraZeneca shot for people under 55
He said for those over the age of 55, that balance is “way, way” in favour of getting the jab.
Trudeau reiterated that the shifting advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine is the result of changing science – and that for the public health officials making these decisions, the safety of Canadians stays firmly front of mind.
“As we get more and more data, experts are refining and shifting their recommendations,” Trudeau said.
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“Canadians need to know that every step of the way, there is one thing driving all these experts, and that is keeping Canadians safe and getting through this pandemic as quickly as possible.”
Tam added that while it may appear that the recommendations are jumping all over the place, the reality is they’ve always been “informed by the data at hand.”
For example, she said, AstraZeneca wasn’t approved for Canadians over 65 because there hadn’t been enough individuals in that age group included in the clinical trials – so they just didn’t know for sure that it was safe. Once real-world data came in for that age group from the U.K., it became apparent that the vaccine was indeed safe for those over age 65.
That’s why that recommendation changed, she said.
2:12 COVID-19: Canada’s deputy public health officer lists symptoms of VIPIT
COVID-19: Canada’s deputy public health officer lists symptoms of VIPIT
Tam said the new recommendation not to administer AstraZeneca to those under the age of 55 follows the same trend.
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“This, again, is new data and it’s a precautionary approach for a rare event,” Tam said, acknowledging that the rare event is “serious.”
She said public health officials “want to be transparent” and that any vaccines that are put into Canadian arms “will be safe and effective for those populations” that they are approved for.
“So I think that’s really, really key,” Tam said.
“For Canadians, when the provinces offer you the vaccine, take the vaccine that you are provided.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s vaccine rollout is heating up. Procurement Minister Anita Anand explained on Tuesday that with a new, expedited timeline for millions of Pfizer doses, Canada is on track to receive at least 44 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of June.
In addition to that, Canada is going to start getting its shipments of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the end of April, officials confirmed Tuesday. Those doses were not included in the 44 million dose tally.
Canada’s population is just shy of 38 million. While all of the 44 million doses require two jabs for full immunization, Canada is focusing on rolling out an initial jab to as many Canadians as possible before worrying about the second vaccine dose.
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2:06 COVID-19: AstraZeneca pause for those under 55 creating more vaccine hesitancy
COVID-19: AstraZeneca pause for those under 55 creating more vaccine hesitancy
“By end of June, we will be having more than 40 million doses of vaccine delivered to Canada. This would place us in a very good situation to say that, by the end of the summer, everyone would have received two doses,” Trudeau said on Tuesday, speaking in French.
“Depending on the distribution of the vaccines by the provinces, it is possible that many people will have received at least their first dose before the summer starts.”
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.