Canadians wary of AstraZeneca vaccine: Poll

In a poll conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, just 53 percent of poll takers would opt to receive or have a family member receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, far less than other vaccines for coronavirus. The poll asked 1,523 adult Canadians about whether they would take that vaccine or not.

The Pfizer vaccine has the most trusted, with 82 percent saying they would trust that vaccine, followed closely by the Moderna vaccine with a 77 percent trustability rating. The Johnson & Johnson one shot vaccine, not yet approved in Canada also polled better, with 69 percent of respondents saying they would trust that shot.

Wariness of the AstraZeneca vaccine comes after reports from out of Europe of about that 3 dozen patients, mostly young women, developed blood clots after getting that specific vaccine.

According to The European Medicines Agency, the blood clots may be specifically connected to rare cases of thrombocytopenia, or low levels of blood platelets, and that the benefits of receiving the vaccine still heavily outweighs the risks.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization came out with new recommendations on the AstraZeneca vaccine Monday, issuing guidance that the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be given to those under 55. Previously, NACI had recommended those over 65 not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, but reversed that advice after receiving evidence of efficacy.

Even with wariness of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 78 percent of Canadians still intend to get vaccinated, up from 63 percent in October. 58 percent said that they would take whatever vaccine is available first, while 24 percent said they would wait for availability of others.