OTTAWA -- The federal health minister says all indications show Canadians aren’t hesitant about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, even after what some called confusing and conflicting advice from a panel of immunization experts.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said there is no evidence to show that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) caused vaccine hesitancy.
“There’s no evidence that it has contributed to hesitancy, what we’ve seen from polling – a variety of different kinds of polling – is that actually Canadians are more eager than ever to get immunized,” she said.
In early May, NACI stated that mRNA vaccines like those by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are “preferred” and if an individual’s risk of getting COVID-19 is low, they could “wait” to receive that kind as opposed to a viral vector vaccine.
They had previously set the age recommendation to 55 and older but later lowered it to 30 and older.
Meanwhile, Health Canada maintains that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe for anyone over the age of 18, and politicians say Canadians should get the first vaccine offered to them.
On the mixed messaging, Hajdu says it hasn’t shown to cause hesitancy.
“We see 88 per cent saying they’ve either been immunized with their first dose or they plan to get immunized as soon as it’s available for their particular category and that’s great news. So I will reiterate things are evolving, things are changing as we learn more about these novel vaccines and the virus,” she said.
According to an Angus Reid survey from May 17, while 53 per cent of adults report having had their first dose and another 29 per cent say they would get one as soon as possible, only 35 per cent say they’re comfortable with receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Several provinces have halted the administration of a second dose of the vaccine citing blood clot concerns and supply issues.
Hajdu wrote a letter to her provincial counterparts last week urging them not to waste remaining doses that are set to expire at the end of May, stating that getting people a second dose would help society reopen faster.
On CTV’s Question Period she said she’s offered to help provinces transport the doses where needed.
“I’ve been talking with my colleagues, the health ministers about this for some time and of course sent a letter [last] week to them to reiterate our support to be able to move them around to provinces that may be able to administer second doses for example, and that offer continues to stand,” she said.
“I would hope that we're going to do our absolute level best to get these doses into arms.”
In Canada, approximately 2.1 million people have received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine with three deaths associated with blood clots reported.
NACI on Friday also updated their guidance on the recommended length of time between two doses, now suggesting second shots should be offered “as soon as possible.”
“With the increase of COVID-19 vaccine supply in Canada, second doses should be offered as soon as possible, with priority given to those at highest risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 disease after or concurrent with first doses for all remaining eligible populations,” said NACI in its latest release.
With a file from CTV News' Christy Somos.
