AstraZeneca alternatives available for second doses at pharmacies
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Ontarians who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy may be offered a second dose of AstraZeneca, or a dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) as their second dose.
These second-dose options will be provided only after the recommended eight-week interval.
In Tillsonburg there are five pharmacies administering vaccine. According to the Ontario website, they are Coward Pharmacy (Moderna), Shoppers Drug Mart (Pfizer), Tillsonburg Care Pharmacy (Moderna), Tillsonburg Remedy’s RX (Moderna) and Walmart Pharmacy (Moderna).
“Pharmacies in the Southwestern Public Health region have administered more than 11,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine,” said medical officer of health Dr. Joyce Lock. “The majority of that vaccine was manufactured by AstraZeneca.
“When the province announced that AstraZeneca would no longer be used for first doses, many were left wondering what would happen for their second doses. Would it be AstraZeneca or something else?
“First, I want to reassure you that AstraZeneca was still a great choice and there is no reason to have ‘buyer’s remorse.’ Second, I want to let you know that both the national advisory council on immunization and the Province of Ontario say that vaccine mixing – or taking a different second dose than the first dose – is not only okay, but a very good choice.”
Over the past weekend, the province announced people who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca can now receive their second dose (any vaccine brand) eight weeks later instead of the 12-week waiting interval.
“For your second dose you will go back to the same pharmacy,” said Lock. “They will offer you a second dose of AstraZeneca or an alternative, like Pfizer or Moderna. Any of these options offer you a high level protection from the virus and its variants.”
If you have questions about what second dose vaccine is right for you, or need to discuss this information further, contact your doctor, nurse practitioner, or pharmacist before you book your vaccine appointment.
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