Health Canada updates Pfizer vaccine label regarding very rare reports of Bell's palsy
Health Canada is updating the product information for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to acknowledge very rare reports of Bell’s palsy following vaccination.
In an advisory issued on Friday, the agency said it decided to update the labelling after a small number of people in Canada and internationally reported temporary weakness or paralysis on one side of the face shortly after receiving the vaccine.
The department continues to assure Canadians the vaccines are safe and effective in protecting against COVID-19, and that the benefits of being vaccinated far outweigh the risks.
A report released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Pfizer’s clinical trial of the vaccine shows that cases of Bell’s palsy occurred in only four participants out of approximately 43,000, about half of whom received the vaccine and half of whom received the placebo.
The Moderna vaccine label already reflects extremely rare reports of Bell’s palsy, and Health Canada stated it will continue to assess the issue for all COVID-19 vaccines approved in Canada.
Bell’s palsy is described as an episode of muscle weakness or paralysis on one side of the face. It is considered temporary in most cases, with symptoms appearing suddenly and improving after a few weeks..
Health Canada recommends vaccine recipients seek medical attention if they experience any combination of the following symptoms after vaccination:
- Uncoordinated movement of the muscles that control facial expressions, such as smiling, squinting, blinking or closing the eyelid
- Loss of feeling in the face
- Headache
- Tearing from the eye
- Drooling
- Lost sense of taste on the front two-thirds of the tongue
- Hypersensitivity to sound in the one ear
- Inability to close an eye on one side of the face
For health professionals, be alert to the signs and symptoms of side-effects following vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines and report any event potentially related to a vaccine to your local public health unit.
COVID-19 COVERAGE
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Russia sanctions 61 more Canadians, including top Trudeau staffers, premiers, mayors and journalists
Russia has issued a fresh round of sanctions, targeting 61 Canadians including premiers, mayors, journalists, military officials and top staffers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
Poilievre defends investments in rental properties while campaigning to address housing affordability
Even as he decries government policies for pushing up the cost of housing, Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre is defending investments he and his wife made in rental properties of the kind that some economists say contribute to rising real estate prices.
What are the COVID-19 travel restrictions at popular destinations for Canadians?
Canadians considering summer travel plans have to factor in COVID-19 restrictions that are in flux around the world, as countries change their rules on masking and border-crossing. CTVNews.ca has compiled a list of the vaccination, COVID-19 testing and masking requirements at some of the most popular vacation destinations for Canadians:
Putin claims victory in Mariupol but won't storm steel plant
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the battle for Mariupol on Thursday, even as he ordered his troops not to take the risk of storming the giant steel plant where the last Ukrainian defenders in the city were holed up.
Sharp rise in passport applications fuelling longer wait times: Service Canada
A resurging interest in travel has seen the number of Canadian passports issued over the past year more than triple, in some cases resulting in longer wait times, the latest figures from the federal government show.
Nova Scotia taxi driver leaves $1.68 million to local hospital in his will
It was no surprise that beloved Antigonish, N.S., taxi driver John MacLellan gave what money he had to the local hospital in his will, family friend Margie Zinck said.
Ukrainian Canadian Congress calls on police to investigate Victoria arson attack as hate crime
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress says an arson attack on the home of a Ukrainian family in Victoria should be investigated as a hate crime.
Brit stuck in Canada over PR card kerfuffle desperate to see father with terminal illness
Shana Olie says she never thought she'd be stuck in Canada, unable to see her gravely ill father in the U.K. -- not because of the pandemic, but due to administrative delays at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Years of fruitful relations between Disney, Florida at risk
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking lawmakers to end Disney's government in a move that jeopardizes the symbiotic relationship between the state and company.
Canada
-
Brit stuck in Canada over PR card kerfuffle desperate to see father with terminal illness
Shana Olie says she never thought she'd be stuck in Canada, unable to see her gravely ill father in the U.K. -- not because of the pandemic, but due to administrative delays at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
-
Ukrainian Canadian Congress calls on police to investigate Victoria arson attack as hate crime
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress says an arson attack on the home of a Ukrainian family in Victoria should be investigated as a hate crime.
-
Canada needs a stronger COVID-19 detection system, experts say
Experts say Canada needs to develop a robust system to detect COVID-19 activity in the absence of wide-scale PCR testing. Since the onset of the Omicron variant, provinces and territories have scaled back access to gold-standard PCR testing, citing the lack of capacity to keep up with demand and the need to free up health-care resources.
-
Sharp rise in passport applications fuelling longer wait times: Service Canada
A resurging interest in travel has seen the number of Canadian passports issued over the past year more than triple, in some cases resulting in longer wait times, the latest figures from the federal government show.
-
Insignia air fryers, ovens recalled due to potential fire hazard
A product recall has been issued for some Insignia brand air fryers and air fryer ovens over concerns that the units can overheat, posing a potential burn and fire hazard.
-
Montrealer who died in Haiti plane crash lost son in Christmas Ferris wheel accident
A Montrealer is among the five victims of a deadly plane crash in Haiti, according to Quebec Liberal MNA Paule Robitaille.
World
-
Ukraine updates: Western officials say Putin could take Donbas
What's happening in Ukraine on Thursday: Western officials say Ukraine will need economic and military support for months to come as the war grinds into a long conflict.
-
U.K. lawmakers OK probe into PM Boris Johnson's alleged lies
British lawmakers have ordered a parliamentary investigation into Prime Minister Boris Johnson for allegedly lying about whether he broke coronavirus restrictions by attending illegal gatherings during the pandemic.
-
Macron vs. Le Pen: The French presidential election runoff explained
France's presidential election will be a rematch of the 2017 contest, when the far right's Marine Le Pen faced off against political newcomer Emmanuel Macron. Macron won that race by nearly two votes to one.
-
Gaza violence intensifies as Jerusalem clashes resume
Israel's air force and Palestinian militants traded fire across the Gaza frontier early Thursday as clashes erupted again at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, worsening an escalation that has been eerily similar to the lead-up to last year's Israel-Gaza war.
-
Manitoba Metis meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican
A Metis group from Manitoba say Pope Francis took ownership of the harms of the Roman Catholic Church during a meeting at the Vatican today.
-
Why Mideast tensions are soaring yet again
Israel has seen the deadliest string of attacks in years. Its troops have launched arrest raids deep inside the occupied West Bank, triggering gunbattles. Clashes have broken out at a major site in Jerusalem sacred to Jews and Muslims and rockets have been fired from Gaza. Here's a look at how we got here.
Politics
-
Poilievre defends investments in rental properties while campaigning to address housing affordability
Even as he decries government policies for pushing up the cost of housing, Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre is defending investments he and his wife made in rental properties of the kind that some economists say contribute to rising real estate prices.
-
Freeland, allies walk out of G20 meeting over Russian participation
Canadian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, joined allies in staging a walkout of a G20 meeting in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday in protest of Russia's involvement.
-
Russia sanctions 61 more Canadians, including top Trudeau staffers, premiers, mayors and journalists
Russia has issued a fresh round of sanctions, targeting 61 Canadians including premiers, mayors, journalists, military officials and top staffers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
Health
-
U.S. warns doctors to look for hepatitis in children as probe widens
U.S. health officials have sent out a nationwide alert warning doctors to be on the lookout for symptoms of pediatric hepatitis, possibly linked with a cold virus, as part of a wider probe into unexplained cases of severe liver inflammation in young children.
-
U.S. FDA investigating Lucky Charms illness reports, no Canadian recalls to date
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating dozens of reports of customers getting ill after eating Lucky Charms cereal, but no Canadian recalls have been issued yet.
-
Women with long-haul COVID-19 have more symptoms than men, study finds
A new study has found that women who suffer from long-COVID typically experience more symptoms than their male counterparts.
Sci-Tech
-
Pterosaurs were covered with colourful feathers, study says
Pterosaurs ruled the skies during the age of the dinosaurs. Not only did these flying reptiles have feathers, but they could actually control the colour of those feathers on a cellular level to create multicolour plumage in a way similar to modern birds, new research has revealed.
-
Jupiter's moon Europa may have a habitable ice shell
On Jupiter's moon Europa, a saltwater ocean exists deep beneath a thick ice shell. Now, a surprising connection between the ice shell and the Greenland ice sheet on Earth has provided new insight: Europa's ocean may be habitable, according to a new study.
-
Japan researchers develop electric chopsticks to enhance salty taste
Japanese researchers have developed computerized chopsticks that enhance salty tastes, potentially helping those who need to reduce sodium in their diets.
Entertainment
-
Amber Heard's lawyer focuses on Depp's texts: 'Let's burn Amber'
Attorneys for actor Amber Heard resumed their cross-examination of her ex-husband Johnny Depp in a Virginia courtroom on Thursday, taking aim at his alcohol and drug use as well as texts he sent to a friend about wanting to kill and defile his then-wife.
-
CNN's streaming service shutting down a month after launch
CNN's brand-new streaming service, CNN+, is shutting down only a month after launch.
-
Nicolas Cage faces off with a new foe: himself
With more than 100 films, the 58-year-old Nicolas Cage has long been one of the most particular tastes in movies. Yet by being 'an amateur surrealist,' as he refers to himself, Cage has emerged as one of Hollywood's most widely loved stars.
Business
-
Is Elon buying Twitter? Musk says he's set with US$46.5B in financing
Elon Musk says he has lined up US$46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, putting pressure on the social media platform's board to negotiate a sale deal.
-
CMHC expects home sales and price growth to remain elevated, but ease from highs
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says it expects home sales and the pace of price growth for them will remain elevated this year, but ease from their highs of 2021.
-
S&P/TSX composite down in late-morning trading as base metals sector falls
Canada's main stock index was down in late-morning trading, led lower by losses in the base metals sector, while U.S. stock markets moved higher.
Lifestyle
-
Canadians working remotely struggle to disconnect from their jobs, report says
A new report has found that 28 per cent of Canadians are experiencing challenges disconnecting from their jobs after regular work hours, a trend experts at LifeWorks say is continuing to impact employees' mental health.
-
Queen Elizabeth gets own Barbie doll for Platinum Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth is being honoured with a Barbie doll in her likeness to mark her Platinum Jubilee this year.
-
sponsored
sponsored | Swapping skates leads to new Olympic journey for former hockey star
From a complete unknown in the speed skating world to a future shining star, Ryan Gibson, 23, is learning the ropes of the sport and aiming for an Olympic debut.
Sports
-
Embiid hits dagger in OT, Sixers take 3-0 series lead over Raptors
Joel Embiid scored a dagger three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in overtime to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 104-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, taking a 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
-
Lewis Hamilton, Serena Williams part of bid to buy Chelsea
The crowded field to buy Chelsea now features 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams and seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.
-
Retirement looms for Fury in homecoming fight against Whyte
So much comes out of Tyson Fury's mouth during fight week that it's hard to know which aspects to gloss over and what to take seriously from one of boxing's most colourful and controversial characters.
Autos
-
Ford recalls more than 650K trucks; windshield wipers can fail
Ford is recalling more than 650,000 pickup trucks and big SUVs in the U.S. because the windshield wipers can break and fail.
-
Tesla record profit blows away estimates
Tesla has posted record profits once again, overcoming supply chain issues that have dogged the broader auto industry to blow away Wall Street's forecast for the company for the first quarter of 2022.
-
Bike rack obscuring licence plate nets Calgarian $162 fine
A bike rack on the back of his car cost a Calgary man $162 when he was stopped by police after returning from a cycling trip with his wife.
