There is growing uncertainty around the use of #AstraZeneca․ Experts

There is growing uncertainty around the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.

On Monday, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) issued new guidelines recommending that the shot should not be administered to people under the age of 55 due to concerns over reports of blood clots.The new guidance comes weeks after NACI said AstraZeneca should not be used on people aged 65 or older because of limited information on its efficacy for that age group.

The agency later reversed its course and gave the green light for vaccine’s use in seniors based on real-world evidence.
The shifting guidelines over the course of one month raises fears about the vaccine’s safety and could impact the country’s rollout plans, experts say.

“It’s incredibly confusing to the public and I fear deeply it will erode trust,” said Kerry Bowman, a bioethicist at the University of Toronto.

Gerald Evans, an infectious disease specialist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., said: “It’s a huge problem because it basically plays into the fears that people have that maybe the vaccine isn’t safe.“

Those fears may also quickly roll over to other vaccines, he added.

AstraZeneca was renamed Vaxzevria, according to the website of the European medical agency EMA.