Manitoba recommends that those aged 12 to 29 get Pfizer COVID vaccine
The medical lead of Manitoba’s Vaccine Implementation Task Force said the province is recommending that individuals aged 12 to 29 get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Joss Reimer announced the recommendation at a news conference on Wednesday, saying it comes after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) updated its recommendations for mRNA vaccines for young people.
“NACI continues to recommend that a complete series with an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer or Moderna, is preferable over receiving a viral vector vaccine, such as AstraZeneca or Janssen,” she said.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in a setting of robust supply, we are now recommending that whenever possible, young people aged 12 to 29 get Pfizer for their first and second doses and probably even for their booster doses.”
She said this is because the risk of myocarditis, which is a rare and temporary swelling of heart tissues, appears to be even lower with Pfizer than it is with Moderna.
Reimer added that Moderna is still a safe and effective option, and young people can still get it if only Moderna is available to them or if they are more comfortable with Moderna.
“I want to be very clear that we are not saying Pfizer is better than Moderna,” she said.
“In fact, in some ways, newer evidence is showing that Moderna may have some benefits over Pfizer in long-term protection.”
Reimer emphasized that the risk of myocarditis is “much higher” from a COVID-19 infection than it is from a COVID-19 vaccine.
“The severity of myocarditis related to infection is much greater than related to those that happen after the vaccine,” she said.
Reimer said the risk of myocarditis after vaccination is low, but the province wants it to be as low as possible.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6% in January as Quebec strikes end
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.