Province Halts Use of AstraZeneca Vaccine
Nova Scotia has stopped using AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as the first dose effective today.
The decision follows increased reports of the rare blood clotting condition linked to this vaccine.
Anyone already scheduled to receive AstraZeneca vaccine will be contacted for a new appointment to receive either a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
A decision on second doses will be made once more information is received from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been linked to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, or VITT, in other provinces.
Anyone with any of the following symptoms after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine should seek medical help right away or call 911 and say they have received the vaccine:
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- stomach pain that will not go away
- leg swelling
- a sudden and severe headache
- a headache that will not go away and is getting worse
- blurred vision
- skin bruising (other than the area vaccinated), reddish or purplish spots, or blood blisters under the skin
The above symptoms are most likely to occur from the fourth to fourteenth day after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The province received 60,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and as of yesterday had dispensed 57,576 doses.
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