Half of the people offered the Modern COVID vaccine declined, says Ontario Pharmacists Association | The Canadian News

About half of all people in Ontario who are offered a Modern Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine now reject it.

That’s according to Justin Bates, executive director of the Ontario Pharmacists Association.

Bates said these data are not collected “centrally,” adding that they are “anecdotal.”

“It is based on my conversations with many of our member pharmacists who have experienced people leaving when they find out that it is Modern, canceling appointments or just not showing up,” he said.

Bates said it is also “taking a lot longer” to convince people who were expecting a vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech that “Moderna is a very wise choice.”

Global News contacted the Ontario Ministry of Health on Friday to determine what the province was doing to limit “vaccine purchases,” but received no response at time of publication.

When asked why so many people reject the Moderna injection, Bates said two things are happening “simultaneously.”

“One is what we will call consumer perception, brand awareness,” he explained. “In general, there is more awareness of the Pfizer company, and I think that leads a lot of people to want to select it even unconsciously.”

Bates said others still feel “unsure” about whether mixing vaccines is safe.

“What we saw at the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2021, we had more supply from Pfizer,” he said, pointing to disruptions in the supply from Moderna.

Most of the people received a first or second dose of Pfizer, Bates said.

“So if there are doubts about the mix, people would rather have the third dose equal,” he said.

“But we know that Moderna’s efficiency is much higher, or at least a little higher compared to the Omicron and Delta variants, and it’s safe and effective.”

Bates said that both Pfizer and Moderna are “extremely good vaccines, same thing.”

“It should be that one mRNA is the same as the other,” he said. “And at the end of the day, that’s the message we need from public health.”

On December 20, 2021, the provincial government opened the availability of boosters to anyone over the age of 18 in Ontario who received their last dose more than three months earlier.

However, due to supply limitations, Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses are being prioritized for younger segments of the population throughout the province, as only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for use in children ages five to five. 11 years, and it is the recommended mRNA. for use by persons under 29 years of age.

Bates said the problem with “buying vaccines” is that people who choose to wait for a vaccine from Pfizer are less protected against COVID-19.

“Their immunity wanes after about six months after the second dose and they are not as protected,” he said. “So the chance, or probability, increases significantly of contracting COVID.”

Bates said booster doses of COVID-19 help prevent infection and help prevent serious illness or symptoms.

“There are those who only have a two-dose series, where they run the risk of more severe symptoms and potentially hospitalization,” he explained. “That has an impact on the health of the population [and] it has an impact on our health care system, if people are hospitalized, taking up valuable resources, and you are creating that capacity challenge that we talk about ”.

Ultimately, Bates said “the best approach is to get the vaccine that is available to maximize your protection and that of those around you as well.”

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Both Moderna and Pfizer’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have been approved for use by the federal and provincial governments.

The injections have been given the green light for use as primary vaccines and boosters. MRNA vaccines can be safely mixed, health officials say.

In September, the Ontario Medical Director of Health recommended The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is used for people 18 to 24 years of age. The Pfizer vaccine is also being used for children ages 12 to 17.

On December 16, 2021, the province launched updated guidance for booster shots, which advised that Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines be used in people ages 18 to 29.

The ministry said lower rates of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) were reported after vaccination with a 30-microgram dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, compared to a 100-microgram injection of Moderna, according to data from the second. dose.

Those in that age group can still receive a Modern vaccine, but must give informed consent.

When asked if 18-29 year olds should wait for a booster shot from Pfizer, Bates said he would advise people to “get Moderna.”

Bates said the risk of myocarditis after receiving the Moderna vaccine is “very, very low.”

“I think that given the risk profile, everyone will have to do their own evaluation, but it is still better to get vaccinated, be it Moderna at 18 years or older,” he said.

The latest data released by the provincial government on Friday said 82 percent of all eligible Ontarians are fully vaccinated. Six percent consider themselves partially vaccinated, while 12 percent remain unvaccinated.

As of Friday, 4,406,948 people in Ontario had received their third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In an email to Global News on Friday, Toronto Public Health (TPH) said that the availability and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the city “depends on the supply of vaccines from the province of Ontario.”

TPH said the city of Toronto’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics offer mRNA vaccines, either from Pfizer or Moderna.

“The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are incredibly similar with nearly identical efficacy rates,” the email says. “Clients of the clinic can choose not to continue vaccination depending on what is available at the clinic when they arrive.”

TPH said the city “does not track data” on people who have declined vaccination appointments due to the type of vaccine brand available.

However, overall, TPH said, “both vaccines have similar side effects and are safe, effective, and interchangeable.”

The public health agency said it “follows the provincial guidance on the recommended administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, including by age group.”

A city of Toronto Press release issued Monday said that while clinics and healthcare partners across Ontario await shipments of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines later this month, beginning Jan.6, all clinics run by the city of Toronto will administer the Modern COVID-19 vaccine to residents 18 years of age. and up.

Similarly, in DurhamBeginning December 29, people over the age of 30 will receive the Moderna Spikevax vaccine, so Pfizer doses could be prioritized for younger sections of the population.

Last month, Moderna Inc. said that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appeared to protect against the Omicron variant in a lab test.

The company said its current version of the injection would remain Moderna’s “first line of defense against Omicron.”

Moderna’s chief medical officer, Dr. Paul Burton, told Reuters that the now available vaccine is “highly effective and extremely safe.”

Burton told the news outlet that the vaccine would protect people “during these winter months, when we will see the most severe pressure from Omicron.”

According to Moderna, a two-dose course of their vaccine generated low neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant, but a 50-microgram boost increased the neutralizing antibodies by 37-fold.

Additionally, the company said that a 100-microgram boost raised antibody levels to more than 80 times pre-boost levels.

– With Reuters files

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