AstraZeneca

A man arrives at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Montreal, on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Can AstraZeneca be tweaked so that it doesn’t lead to blood clots?

Vaxx Populi: Researchers are getting faster at recognizing, diagnosing and treating VITT, and there is hope that they’re zeroing in on what causes it

Two vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine sit on a table at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Halifax on Monday, May 24, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

NACI approves mixing COVID vaccines: What you need to know

Vaxx Populi: If you got a first dose of AstraZeneca, you can choose to get an mRNA vaccine for your second dose. Pfizer and Moderna will also be interchangeable as second doses.

Sign that says "Book your second COVID-19 vaccine dose" at the Invista Centre in Kingston, Ontario on Monday, March 1, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues across Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Lars Hagberg

How soon are second doses coming for Canadians, and who will get them first?

Vaxx Populi: The four-month interval between doses is ticking away for Canadians, while new research is emerging about the optimal time to wait

People lining up at walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine in Montreal, on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Ontario has paused AstraZeneca. So, can I get my second dose sooner?

Vaxx Populi: Ontario and Alberta have stopped giving first doses of AstraZeneca. What does that mean for those who’ve already had one?

Hajdu rises during Question Period in the House of Commons Dec. 10, 2020 (CP/Justin Tang)

One day in Ottawa and a catastrophe of vaccine messaging

Shannon Proudfoot: From a television appearance by NACI’s chair to a confounding response by the health minister, confidence in COVID vaccines took a beating

Visitors arrive at a pop up COVID-19 vaccine clinic at David and Mary Thomson high school in Toronto on Thursday, April 29, 2021. Hundreds of people lined up through the night in the hard hit community. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Confused by NACI’s AstraZeneca recommendation? Why the first shot offered is still the best shot

Vaxx Populi: NACI described mRNA vaccines as “preferred,” but the protection all vaccines—including AstraZeneca—offer from COVID is ‘immensely higher’ than the risk of blood clots

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receives his COVID vaccination in Ottawa, Friday April 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Why some people feel COVID vaccine side effects and others don’t

Vaxx Populi: Some research has found more side effects after one dose of AstraZeneca than of Pfizer. But there’s no evidence that a stronger reaction means stronger immunity.

Residents of Toronto's Jane and Finch neighbourhood, in the M3N postal code, line up at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Saturday, April 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Here’s what you really need to get a COVID vaccine in Ontario

An alchemy involving copious free time, a car and loads of social capital—adding up to a terrible way to get jabs into the arms that need them most

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Kingston, Ont. on March 18, 2021 (CP/Lars Hagberg)

A vaccine system for the fortunate few

Shannon Proudfoot: There are lots of ways to get the AZ shot in Ontario’s crazy vaccine system. Being the most deserving candidate isn’t one of them.

Sign at a pharmacy informing people to join the waitlist to receive the AstraZeneca / COVISHIELD novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine in Markham, Ontario, Canada on April 15, 2021. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Why AstraZeneca’s eligibility has changed in some provinces. Plus, how to get a shot.

Vaxx Populi: Health Canada reaffirmed its confidence in AstraZeneca but doses were at risk of going to waste as those 55 and older avoided the vaccine

Vaccine for COVID 19 by AstraZeneca box next to a syringe (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)

15 questions about the AstraZeneca vaccine in wake of new recommendations

Vaxx Populi: What happens to Canadians 55-and-under who’ve had a first dose, what to do if you’re offered the vaccine, what we know about a condition called VIPIT, and more