“We are providing individuals who have received only their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine with two recommended options based on the available data and evidence and will continue to work with Health Canada to monitor the quality and efficacy of all COVID-19 vaccines being used in Ontario,” said Williams in the statement
Those who received AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can receive a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine or one of the two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer or Moderna, for their second dose.
All provinces paused the use of AstraZeneca for first doses in May as reports of rare, but potentially serious, vaccine-induced blood clots rose.
Almost 2.2 million Canadians received the vaccine for their first dose, out of 21.8 million people now vaccinated with at least one dose. There have been 41 confirmed or suspected cases of vaccine-induced blood clots following an AstraZeneca vaccination in Canada, including five deaths.
The NACI report also said when the same mRNA vaccine product is not readily available, or is unknown, another mRNA vaccine recommended for use in that age group can be considered interchangeable and should be offered to complete the vaccine series.
On Tuesday, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam acknowledged that the NACI report noted there was no data for the interchangeability of the two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna. However, there are ongoing studies supporting the replacements that have not yet been published, she said.
Tam said mixing vaccines is not a new concept and has been used in the past with other vaccines, depending on availability. The mixed schedule has a good safety profile, but there is the possibility of short-term side-effects such as headaches and fatigue, she said.
The second dose options will be provided at the recommended 12-week interval, according to the statement.
Those who would like their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, can contact the pharmacy or primary care provider where they received their first dose to book an appointment. Those who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and are opting to receive an mRNA vaccine can schedule the second dose appointment at a participating pharmacy where the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are administered.
Good news! Long-term care residents are being permitted more visits, visitors and even hugs.
With 97 per cent of LTC residents fully immunized and 89 per cent of staff with at least one vaccine — two-thirds have been fully immunized — the province says residents can now enjoy more social connections with family and friends.
Residents who have been fully immunized can now leave their LTC homes for day and overnight social outings and trips, said the province.
Residents who have been able to get outside for outdoor visits for mobility or health reasons can also now have one indoor visitor, aside from an essential caregiver.
Brief hugs are also allowed, regardless of the visitor or the resident’s vaccination status.
“Where both the resident and visitors are fully immunized, close physical contact, including handholding, can now take place safely,” said Ontario’s Ministry of Long-term Care.
Public health measures in LTC homes including hand hygiene and masks still apply.
Primary care settings and pharmacies may also be reaching out to eligible Ontarians.
Starting on Monday, those who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and want to receive an mRNA vaccine for their second dose can register for a “second dose only” at a 12-week interval through the provincial booking system, or to schedule their second dose appointment directly through public health units that use their own booking systems.
Meanwhile, a pair of memos from the provincial government suggest that constraints for hospitals are being loosened.
The first memo, from Ontario Health, says non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures can be resumed as long as hospitals are ready to accept COVID patient transfers when necessary.
A directive (“Directive #2”) was issued on April 19 to maintain health-care capacity. When it was lifted on May 19, hospitals were allowed to proceed with non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures that were not expected to require inpatient resources such as overnight stays.
The memo issued Thursday allows hospitals to conduct non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries that require inpatient and critical care resources — as long as they meet certain criteria, such as being ready to accept patients and they have the health human resources available for emergency and emergent care.
“Over the past several weeks, we have continued to monitor new cases, hospitalizations and ICU admission and are encouraged to see that the recent downward trends have been sustained,” said the memo to hospital CEOs.
“Although the number of patients with COVID-19 in hospitals and ICUs remains high, some hospitals now have the capacity to safely resume non-emergent surgeries and procedures to include those that require inpatient and critical care resources.”
The second memo from the Deputy Minister of Health outlines an amendment of two emergency orders under the Emergency Management And Civil Protection Act.
On April 9, the Ontario government issued an emergency order to provide hospitals with the flexibility to transfer patients to other hospitals without consent in situations where a hospital’s resources are at significant and immediate risk of becoming overwhelmed.
On April 28, the government amended the order to allow for transfers of patients designated as alternate level of care to long-term care and retirement homes in case of a major surge. That has been revoked, but the emergency order issued April 9 will remain in effect until June 16, unless it is extended.
The memo notes that there have been no reported cases of alternative level of care patients being transferred to LTC or retirement homes.
Latest COVID-19 news in Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health reported 40 new confirmed cases Thursday, bringing to 27,179 the number of cases since the pandemic began.
There were two new deaths, bringing the toll to 574.
The agency said there are 560 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, with 29 people in hospital and four in ICU.
There was one new outbreak in a daycare facility. There are 24 other ongoing outbreaks, 18 in health-care institutions, two in child-care settings and four in the community.
Among closely watched indicators: The seven-day rolling average of new cases per 100,000 residents is 35.7, the testing positivity in the community is 3.9 per cent, and the reproductive number (which indicates the number of people a person with COVID-19 can infect is 0.81. A number below 1.0 indicates the virus is receding.
Meanwhile, a “glitch” in the Ontario vaccine booking system which caused Ottawa to pause bookings since Monday has been corrected, the city says.
Officials from Ottawa Public Health are to begin contacting residents 80 and older who do not yet have a second vaccine appointment, to book a new appointment.
COVID-19: Mixed vaccines approved in Ontario; Fines for quarantine refusers increased - Ottawa Citizen
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