Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization released new measures on Monday that advise against inoculating seniors who are aged 65 and older with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. It cited a lack of information regarding the efficacy in that certain age group.
AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Not Advised for 65 and Older
The novel coronavirus vaccine was authorized for individuals who are 18 years old and older by the drug regulator Health Canada on Friday. The committee's guidelines are not imperative. However, it may influence provincial immunization plans.
A national panel of vaccine experts states provinces must not use the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on seniors. This opens the door for provinces to begin vaccinating younger populations with the newly authorized vaccine much earlier than anticipated. However, similar advice initially issued in Europe started to be revisited on Monday, France overturned its earlier decision against using it on seniors, and Germany is amid reconsideration, reported Tricity News.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was permitted for use on Friday on all adults, involving seniors. However, the NACI is concerned there is limited data on the efficacy of the vaccine in older populations. There are no concerns that the vaccine is not safe for use. However, the NACI panel stated in its recommendations the mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are preferred for individuals 65 years old and above because of "suggested superior efficacy," reported CP24.
Health Canada's decision underscored that available clinical trial data was too restricted to ascertain how well the vaccine worked in seniors 65 and older. However, it also stated "emerging real world evidence" in places that had already begun administering the vaccine that suggested a potential advantage and no safety concerns.
According to the NACI, the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to individuals under 65 so long as the benefits of receiving a good vaccine earlier outweigh any restrictions the vaccine may uphold in terms of efficacy. The advice indicated that people should be made aware of such limitations and how long they could otherwise wait for an mRNA vaccine.
The panel's advisory helps provincial governments surmise how best to administer the vaccines available to them. However, provinces could make their own calls regarding what to do. It will now be up to provinces to evaluate if they open up vaccinations with AstraZeneca to individuals under 65 years old.
According to a preliminary study of Scotland's vaccination drive published the previous week, it suggested AstraZeneca's jab had been highly competent in alleviating serious infections there. In Germany, the recommendation to use the vaccine merely for people under 65 years old has resulted in low uptake of available doses.
Until now, provinces have not expected to expand the immunization campaign to include people younger than the age threshold for many more months. This is mostly in what they call Phase 2 or even Phase 3 of their vaccination program.
Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro remarked the provincial government has decided to adhere to NACI's advice. They did not administer Oxford-AstraZeneca to anyone over 65 years old.
