‘I have no options’: Canadians criticize lack of Novavax COVID shot

The national government’s determination to not supply Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory microorganism play raises wellness equity concerns, experts and advocates say, arsenic immoderate Canadians look to the U.S. to get the shot.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said it won’t supply the protein-based vaccine called Nuvaxovid due to the fact that the shaper required a minimum bid that acold exceeds past year’s uptake of the vaccine.

The wellness bureau said 125,000 Nuvaxovid doses were ordered successful 2023, but lone 5,529 were administered. This fall, it volition lone proviso provinces and territories with the reformulated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

But immoderate Canadians who accidental they are immunocompromised and person had adverse reactions to the mRNA vaccines are calling the determination unfair.

Among them is 64-year-old Linda Wilhelm, who has rheumatoid arthritis and takes immunosuppressive drugs for the chronic inflammatory disorder. The Bloomfield-N.B. nonmigratory said she received six mRNA COVID-19 vaccines implicit a three-year period, but her past changeable caused a flare-up successful her joints that lasted 8 months.

Wilhelm said the flare-up was truthful atrocious that she adjacent had occupation brushing her hairsbreadth oregon chopping vegetables.

After searching for Nuvaxovid astatine assorted pharmacies and nationalist wellness clinics, she said she yet got a dose successful April astatine a pharmacy successful Saint John, N.B., and had nary adverse reactions.

“And now, again, I person nary options,” Wilhelm said, adding that she’s considering driving crossed the borderline to Maine to get the updated Nuvaxovid shot.

Barry Hunt made the cross-border travel past period from Port Ryerse, Ont., to a pharmacy adjacent Buffalo, N.Y., wherever helium paid US$200 to get the Novavax vaccine.

The 61-year-old, who has a lasting associated corruption from a genu country complication, said helium had a six months-long adverse absorption to his 4th mRNA changeable that caused tightness successful his thorax and fatigue.

But helium acknowledged that astir radical seeking Nuvaxovid don’t person the means to question to the U.S. to get it.

“I deliberation it’s unfair to radical who can’t spend it. I deliberation it’s ridiculous to some wage taxes present successful Canada for cosmopolitan wellness attraction nether the Canada Health Act and not beryllium capable to entree a non-mRNA vaccine,” Hunt said.

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist astatine the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, said immoderate radical whitethorn beryllium delicate to immoderate components of mRNA vaccines but wide they are harmless for immunosuppressed people.

“It’s disappointing that Novavax won’t beryllium disposable present due to the fact that I deliberation it could summation vaccine uptake conscionable by virtuousness of overcoming objections to mRNA vaccines, whether based successful information oregon not,” she said successful an email.

Other experts accidental probe besides shows that, but successful precise uncommon circumstances, it is harmless for radical taking immunosuppressive drugs to get an mRNA vaccine, adjacent though immoderate patients study flare-ups of their conditions.

Specialists often inquire patients with autoimmune diseases to halt taking their medications portion they get vaccinated to guarantee they tin equine a bully immune response, and the lack of medicine whitethorn beryllium what’s really triggering the flare-ups alternatively than the mRNA vaccine itself, said Dawn Bowdish, an immunology prof astatine McMaster University successful Hamilton.

Trending Now

Still, Nuvaxovid is “clearly little what we telephone reactogenic, meaning you’re little apt to consciousness poorly oregon person a sore limb oregon person immoderate of those side-effects that immoderate radical … get from vaccines,” said Bowdish, who has worked with immunocompromised radical successful objective studies connected mRNA vaccines.

Novavax’s vaccine, reformulated to people the precocious circulating JN.1 subvariant of Omicron, was authorized by Health Canada successful September.

People who person concerns oregon had a atrocious immunization acquisition should person entree to Nuvaxovid, Bowdish said, due to the fact that it’s important they get immoderate benignant of vaccination against COVID-19, which is particularly unsafe for the immunocompromised.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said radical disquieted astir getting an mRNA vaccine should consult their health-care provider.

Those who are medically incapable to person an mRNA vaccine should support themselves by practising manus hygiene, wearing a well-fitting disguise and improving indoor ventilation, the bureau said.

“That effect is perfectly appalling,” said Michelle Burleigh, co-chair of the Canadian Immunocompromised Advocacy Network, which sent a missive to the national authorities successful July urging it to procure Novavax.

“It’s large if idiosyncratic has the fiscal means and quality to question to the U.S., but this causes a existent wellness equity contented due to the fact that determination are a batch of Canadians who are not successful a presumption to spend $200 for a vaccine successful the United States oregon person the quality to get there.”

Bowdish said she’s besides alert of radical travelling to the U.S. to get Nuvaxovid and that’s “really problematic.”

Although the latest information suggest flare-ups of definite conditions are improbable to beryllium a nonstop effect of the mRNA vaccine, it’s inactive important to accommodate patients, she said.

“If a person’s idiosyncratic acquisition was, ‘I got vaccinated and I had a flare that enactment maine successful furniture for 2 months and … I missed a portion of life,’ however connected world bash you antagonistic that portion being respectful implicit their autonomy and knowing their ain bodies?”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Oct. 3, 2024.

Canadian Press wellness sum receives enactment done a concern with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely liable for this content.