NACI recommends AstraZeneca for people over 30

A national advisory panel recommends people 30 and older can get a shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine if they do not want to wait for an alternative.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization provided the update in a briefing today.

The committee initially recommended a pause on using AstraZeneca shots for people younger than 55 out of an abundance of caution after reports of rare blood clots.

It says Health Canada released a safety assessment that showed the benefits of the shots outweigh the risks, which the committee also evaluated.

LIVE: Federal health officials provide update on AstraZeneca vaccine https://t.co/K1pGQFrgsm

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Although provinces initially paused giving AstraZeneca shots to younger people based on the committee's advice, some have since started administering it to people over 40, given the current spread of the virus.

The committee says the blood clots are rare, and people have an individual choice if they would rather wait to take the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.