DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
When Gwenny Farrell booked her second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on the first day it became available, she said she believed she was doing the right thing.
The resident of White Rock, B.C., said she has tried to follow every health protocol and recommendation strictly, so her confidence has been shaken by a new recommendation from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization on mixing the vaccines.
On June 1, NACI had said AstraZeneca recipients "could" get Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for their second shot if they wanted, but on Thursday it went further to say an mRNA vaccine was the "preferred" choice.
"I'm frustrated because now, after being told for months that the best vaccine is the first one that's in your arm, I'm being told I may have made a mistake," Farrell, 55, said.
The new recommendation is drawing mixed reaction from those who've already received two jabs of AstraZeneca. Farrell is not alone in her disappointment, while others say they remain happy with their choice because they know it still means they are well protected against COVID-19.
The committee's guidance is based on the growing supply of mRNA vaccines, growing evidence that a second dose of an mRNA vaccine produces a stronger immune response, and because of the low but serious risk of vaccine-induced blood clots associated with AstraZeneca.
"People who received two doses of AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine can rest assured that the vaccine provides good protection against infection and very good protection against severe disease and hospitalization," NACI's advice says.
The committee also updated its previous recommendation that people at high risk of exposure to, or serious illness from, COVID-19, could opt to get AstraZeneca rather than waiting for Pfizer or Moderna. Now NACI says everyone should always get the mRNA vaccines first, unless they are allergic to them.
However, officials in Quebec and British Columbia didn't move to follow NACI's advice, instead saying residents can still make a personal choice for either a mixed schedule or two doses of AstraZeneca.
"The very real world evidence shows us we have good protection across the board with both vaccines in our community," B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
As of June 5, 2.1 million Canadians had received one dose of AstraZeneca, and 15,186 had received two doses.
There are no further shipments of AstraZeneca scheduled, but there are still about half a million doses of it in the provinces.
Toronto resident Sophie Nadeau said she remains grateful that she got her second AstraZeneca jab on Tuesday.
"I mean I'm fully vaccinated, that's amazing," she said.
Nadeau said she made the best decision she could with the information available at the time. As a single mother who hasn't been able to see her parents in a long time, it was important to get the first vaccine that was available.
As a public relations professional, Nadeau said she has a lot of empathy for those responsible for communicating what she understands to be naturally evolving recommendations as new evidence becomes available.
"There are no perfect choices when it comes to COVID-19," she said, adding the pandemic has made everyone develop risk assessment skills.
"I really do feel like for the last year and a half, every single thing has become an assessment of risk: from masks, to letting my kids out, to seeing my parents or choosing not to in this case. By this point, I've kind of become emotionally prepared for the story to change."
Mike Farnworth, British Columbia's minister of public safety, said he got his second AstraZeneca dose last week and would do the same if it was available this week.
He said his message to other British Columbians who have received two doses is the same: "Don't worry, you're fully vaccinated."
Others aren't so sure. Michael Slavitch, 54, made two separate appointments for his second dose because of mixed advice.
He now plans to cancel his AstraZeneca appointment Monday and keep his appointment for an mRNA shot.
Slavitch said he's particularly concerned about whether his AstraZeneca vaccine, or mixing and matching, will be accepted by other countries as international travel opens up.
"I'm confused about what to do," he said. "Our government is responsible for cleaning up this mess."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2021.
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.