Provinces limited eligibility for that vaccine to those 55 and older after a small number of cases of an unusual and serious blood-clotting condition appeared in younger people — mostly women — who had received a shot.
The odds of someone getting the syndrome — dubbed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia — has been estimated at between one in 100,000 and one in 250,000.
By comparison, about one in four people hospitalized with COVID-19 will experience a blood clot,
"Certainly based on risks, most people are much better off with a vaccine," said Dr.
"You can certainly drop it easily to 45, if not 35."
Gregson, who specializes in infectious diseases and medical microbiology, said uncertainty has been planted in peoples' minds about getting
Dr.
"I think it's an important strategy we need to consider," said Hota, also an associate professor of infectious diseases at the
"The case counts are going up too fast and they're going to a point where it's hitting the hospitals in a way that we've not experienced before, ever."
Hota suggested one approach could be offering the shot to younger men, since the rare side-effect seems to be more prevalent in women.
In
"I also know that some who are younger than 55 are interested in getting the protection that this vaccine offers," she said Thursday.
"Given the
In the meantime, Hinshaw is urging anyone who is already eligible to get their
Walk-in vaccinations are available at 26 pharmacies in
"While not getting vaccinated may feel like a way to protect your health by avoiding the rare risk of a blood clot following vaccine, waiting can actually increase your risk of getting sick, or worse," Hinshaw said.
This report by
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