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Blame Bruce Springsteen for AstraZeneca’s latest woes.

The recent announcement of the rocker’s concert, which excludes people who have not been vaccinated with one of the three vaccines, is causing some British Columbians to wonder if they made the right choice.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been associated with rare blood clotting, has not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Those who have received two doses of AstraZeneca will not be able to attend Springsteen’s live show on Broadway in New York City, which is only open to fans who can prove they are vaccinated with an FDA-approved vaccine.

Aside from the fact that it’s nearly impossible for someone in British Columbia to make it to New York at this time, the news worries many who have taken the advice of local health officials and taken the lead. first vaccine offered to them.

Michael Slavitch has said he has made two separate appointments for his second dose, but is now considering canceling his AstraZeneca injection and taking a dose of mRNA instead.

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Slavitch said he is particularly concerned that his AstraZeneca vaccine, or its blend and pair, is accepted by other countries as international travel opens up.

“I don’t know what to do,” he said. “Our government is responsible for cleaning up this mess. “

Meanwhile, British Columbia has reported one death and 108 cases of COVID-19 during the last day of Friday. He said 76.7% of adults have now received their first dose of a COVID vaccine, while 823,371 people have received two doses.

Perhaps not as widely reported as the reopening of the Springsteen show, the question was even more confused on Thursday when Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization made a new recommendation saying that an mRNA vaccine, like Pfizer, or Moderna, is the “preferred” choice for a second shoot. This was after declaring on June 1 that AstraZeneca recipients “could” mix and match.

The evolution of the message shocked Gwenny Farrell, a White Rock resident who booked her second dose of AstraZeneca on the first day it became available.

“I’m frustrated because now, after months of learning that the best vaccine is the first one that’s in your arm, I’m being told that maybe I made a mistake,” she said.

But British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said he received his second dose of AstraZeneca last week and would do the same if it was available this week.

Her message to others who have received two doses is clear: “Don’t worry, you are fully immunized.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has also received the AstraZeneca vaccine, said his government is working with U.S. and international officials to ensure that Canadians who have received AstraZeneca face few barriers to travel.

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Health officials have also tried to reassure Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, Dr. Bonnie Henry, saying talks about vaccines and travel are continuing.

“Each country has authorized different vaccines,” Tam said. “It’s not just the United States. It could be different countries in Europe, it could be different countries in Asia. They’re all making different political decisions right now.

“So I think the important thing is to engage in international discussions, be it the G7 or bilaterally with the United States or others, to get to a point where we can accept the data of both sides. other.”

Henry said his expectation is that vaccines approved by the World Health Organization will eventually become the standard that will be met around the world.

“We expect this to be the standard set by the WHO that allows us to have a measurable standard around the world. And all vaccines approved for use here in Canada, and all combinations, are also WHO approved, ”she said.

Henry was also asked about the possibility that people who received a double dose of AstraZeneca could get a booster of Pfizer or Moderna to allow them to travel more freely. She rejected this idea.

“There is no evidence that… it’s necessary, or that it offers an added benefit,” she said.

“We know from real experience… that the efficacy of the vaccine after two doses of AstraZeneca was exactly the same as after two doses of mRNA vaccines. So they work, they protect you.

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Henry said discussions about the boosters will be informed by science and that studies are underway to determine how long each vaccine provides protection: “We need to look at what happens as fall approaches. In months, we may find that immunity wanes with any combination of vaccines, and it may wane with all of them.

Gabor Lukacs, an air passenger rights advocate, said Canada needs to focus on the “paperwork” associated with vaccines to ensure that Canadians’ immunization records are accepted by other countries. He said it had to come from the government, not the airlines, as health data is sensitive. He theoretically supports vaccination passports, noting that many countries already require proof of vaccination against local diseases as a condition of entry.

Delta travel agent Trina Dang-Bordes said vaccinated travelers should be able to travel.

Dang-Bordes, who works with Marlin Travel in Delta, said it would be “unfair” if travel were restricted for those who had an AstraZeneca vaccine.

With files from The Canadian Press

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