Alberta Health has confirmed it will stop administering first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in favour of other types of immunization.
A spokesperson for Alberta Health confirmed the change in policy in an email to Postmedia on Tuesday morning. Spokesperson Tom McMillan said since there are no known future shipments of AstraZeneca at this time, a determination was made to use the remaining supply as second doses.
The province has administered about 255,000 first doses of AstraZeneca and 2,200 second doses. The remaining supply of 8,400 doses will be used as second doses.
Currently, Alberta is receiving the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in a more consistent shipment. More than 236,000 doses arriving in the province this week alone.
Alberta Health goes on to say that they will monitor the research, and keep Albertans informed in the weeks ahead.
Ontario, meanwhile, became the latest province to indicate Monday it will likely allow people to mix COVID-19 vaccine brands on the second dose as more Pfizer and Moderna shipments arrive.
