Canada to pause AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine use for those under 55, require new risk analysis

OTTAWA/TORONTO - Canadian health officials said on Monday they would stop offering AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to people under age 55 and require a new analysis of the shot's benefits and risks based on age and gender.

The moves follow reports from Europe of rare but serious blood clots, bleeding and in some cases death after vaccination, mainly in young women. No such cases have been reported in Canada, with about 307,000 AstraZeneca doses administered. "We are pausing the use of AstraZeneca vaccine to adults under 55 years of age pending further risk benefit analysis," Canada's deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo said at a media briefing.