Learning new information about the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine, LNG Canada has put a pause on their immunization program.
Reports in Europe state about three dozen patients, mainly women under the age of 55, have developed blood clots following immunization with the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine.
Therefore, the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations (NACI) is recommending people under the age of 55 should not use the vaccine until further examination.
READ MORE: B.C.’s frontline worker vaccine program in flux as AstraZeneca use paused for under-55s
Immunizations were being distributed throughout the province for workers in food-processing plants, large industrial camps and farms where workers live in group housing, however, distribution of the vaccine at worksites like LNG Canada has stopped until further information about the vaccine’s side effects is better understood.
“As instructed by Northern Health, the LNG Canada project has paused all AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD immunizations to workers irrespective of age at its construction site in Kitimat and will await further instructions from the health authority,” said a spokesperson for LNG Canada in a statement to The Northern Sentinel.
Dr. Henry advised people under the age of 55 to self-monitor any symptoms but also told them if they got the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine more than 20 days ago they shouldn’t be too concerned.
“If you have received the AstraZeneca vaccine and you develop symptoms that are concerning such as headaches or swelling, you can seek medical attention,” Henry said. “It is very rare and it is unlikely to see any cases here in British Columbia and in Canada.”