Close X
Sunday, March 2, 2025
ADVT 
National

Canadians wary of AstraZeneca vaccine: Poll

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 Mar, 2021 05:27 PM
  • Canadians wary of AstraZeneca vaccine: Poll

Canadians are much more wary about being injected with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine than they are about receiving other vaccines approved for use in Canada, a new poll suggests.

Just 53 per cent of respondents to the poll, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, said they would trust the AstraZeneca vaccine being given to themselves or family members to immunize them against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

That was far less than the 82 per cent who said they'd trust being injected with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the 77 per cent who said the same about the Moderna vaccine.

AstraZeneca also fared worse compared to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has been approved but is not yet available in Canada. Sixty-nine per cent expressed trust in the J and J option.

The online poll of 1,523 adult Canadians was conducted March 26-28, just before the latest controversy erupted involving the trouble-plagued AstraZeneca vaccine. It cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples.

On Monday, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended that AstraZeneca not be used on people under the age of 55. That was in response to reports that some three dozen patients in Europe, primarily younger women, developed blood clots after receiving the vaccine.

That marked the third time NACI has changed its guidance about the use of AstraZeneca.

In late February, the advisory committee said it shouldn't be used on people over the age of 65, citing an insufficient number of seniors involved in clinical trials. Two weeks later, NACI retracted that advice, based on real-world evidence of AstraZeneca's effectiveness in seniors.

The poll suggests wariness about AstraZeneca hasn't so far made Canadians more hesitant about getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Seventy-eight per cent of respondents said they intend to get vaccinated, continuing a slow but steady upward trend since last October, when 63 per cent planned to get immunized.

Moreover, 58 per cent said they'd take the first vaccine available, up 30 percentage points since November. Another 24 per cent said they'd wait for other vaccines to become available.

MORE National ARTICLES

Crash on Highway 16 kills Vancouver-area man

Crash on Highway 16 kills Vancouver-area man
An RCMP statement says the collision happened Monday as the Alberta man in a westbound pickup was overtaking an empty logging truck.

Crash on Highway 16 kills Vancouver-area man

COVID-19 on two more units of Vancouver hospital

COVID-19 on two more units of Vancouver hospital
A statement from Vancouver Coastal Health says outbreaks are underway on inpatient units T-14-G and T-11-G in the highrise tower of the hospital's Jim Pattison Pavilion.

COVID-19 on two more units of Vancouver hospital

Richmond RCMP mourns the loss of one of its most dedicated force members Constable Jasmine Thiara

Richmond RCMP mourns the loss of one of its most dedicated force members Constable Jasmine Thiara
The death happened while they were off duty and the BC Coroners Service is conducting an investigation to determine the facts surrounding the death.

Richmond RCMP mourns the loss of one of its most dedicated force members Constable Jasmine Thiara

Biden speaks out on detention of Spavor, Kovrig

Biden speaks out on detention of Spavor, Kovrig
Biden says human beings are not bartering chips, and that the two countries won't rest until Spavor and Kovrig are home.

Biden speaks out on detention of Spavor, Kovrig

559 cases of COVID19 for Tuesday

559 cases of COVID19 for Tuesday
There are 238 people in hospital, up 15, linked to COVID-19. There are 69 people in ICU. There are 7,881 people in self-isolation.

559 cases of COVID19 for Tuesday

Minister Duclos steps aside due to illness

Minister Duclos steps aside due to illness
Duclos says in a statement that he felt persistent chest pain over the past several days.

Minister Duclos steps aside due to illness