To our patients:
By now, you may have heard that the provincial government has put a pause on new first doses of Astra Zeneca. This decision was made for two reasons: over the last few days there has been an increase in the incidence of the serious side effect know as VITT (vaccine induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia ) and there is now in increased and reliable supply of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines.
We want to reach out to address questions and concerns that you might have.
At the time you received your Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine, you did the right thing. We were facing rapidly rising COVID cases and insecure vaccine supply. All experts agree that the first vaccine available to you was the vaccine that was best at the time. You received an effective vaccine to protect you against the risks of severe illness, ICU admission and death.
Now to answer the question on everyone’s minds – what happens with my second dose? We do have time until second doses are due. At this point, we have not been advised about the plan for second doses. We will keep you informed once the province provides direction.
On behalf of our WRNPLC clinical team,
Paula Carere NPPHC BScN MEd
Clinical Lead
Waterloo Region NPLC