Serious reactions to covid vaccine 'very, very rare,' says N.B. Medical Society
CBC
With more than 1.35 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in New Brunswick since Dec. 19, 2020, reports to Public Health have captured 96 adverse events considered serious, or about 0.007 per cent of the total.
They include incidents of heart inflammation, a kind of facial paralysis known as Bell's Palsy and vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia or VITT, also described as a rare type of blood clot.
But the benefits of the vaccine do seem to far outweigh the risk of COVID-19 infection, says Dr. Robert Stevenson, a cardiologist at the New Brunswick Heart Centre.
As of Dec. 14, Canada has reported a total of 1,845,256 cases of COVID-19 and 29,969 deaths. New Brunswick has recorded 9,973 cases and 144 deaths.
More than 82 per cent of New Brunswickers eligible for a COVID vaccine have received two doses, and more than 10 per cent have already have booster shots.
Adverse events following a vaccination can include any unintended effect, including rash or headache, according to Health Canada. Serious events are described as fatal, life-threatening, or events that result in hospitalization, significant disability or birth defect.
Serious events from vaccine that have been reported in New Brunswick break down this way:
On March 29, 2021, Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization advised against using AstraZeneca vaccine in adults under the age of 55.
And on May 13, 2021, New Brunswick announced it would stop giving AstraZeneca as a first dose.
The president of the New Brunswick Medical Society says the public has a right to know about any possible reactions that could occur with any medication they're considering taking.
MacMillan said it's also important to put reports of side-effects in context.
"We have to understand these vaccines have been given to millions and millions of people across the world," he said.
"That's why we actually track these events so that we know what they are and can see if the numbers start to increase to a concerning amount.
"And at this point, the numbers we have, while unfortunate, seem very, very rare."
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