TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that while new recommendations saying the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used on people older than 65 is “good news,” it also “messes everything up” logistically.
The province received 194,500 doses of the vaccine last week and began administering it at select pharmacies and doctor offices across Ontario to people between the ages of 60 and 64, as was recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).
The initial recommendation to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to people born between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1961 was made because there was not as much evidence surrounding the efficacy of the shot in seniors as there was with the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
On Tuesday, the NACI revised their recommendations after reviewing three real-world studies that showed the Astrazeneca vaccine was safe and effective in older populations.
The NACI only offers recommendations on the use of vaccines. It is up to each province to create their own rules and regulations as part of their individual rollout plans.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the new guidelines were announced, Ford reiterated that anyone already registered for the AstraZeneca vaccine will not lose their spot.
“They’re changing and moving the goalposts. I can’t begin to tell you the logistics behind it. It just messes everything up to be very frank with you,” the premier told reporters.
“It’s good news that they can you know can go older than 60, 65 but, man, we have everything set up, we get everyone lined up, and all of a sudden, without notice, today, now we can move the goalposts again. So now we have to change everything, it’s not easy.”
Ford said he remains committed to vaccinating everyone in the 60 to 64 age group, but is concerned that the supply is running low.