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ns N.S. pauses AstraZeneca rollout, citing concerns over blood clots Nova Scotia will follow the lead of other provinces and pause the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19 out of "an abundance of caution" over a rare blood-clotting disorder, the province said Wednesday. Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang held a COVID-19 briefing Wednesday as they announced 149 new cases of the virus. What happens when you test positive for COVID-19 in Nova Scotia? Here are all the potential COVID-19 exposure sites in Nova Scotia The government said its decision to halt distribution of AstraZeneca comes after an observed increase in vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, also known as VITT. Strang said there have been no cases of VITT in Nova Scotia. "The decision to pause the use of AZ is based on caution, science and the availability of alternative mRNA vaccines," Strang said, referring to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Alberta was the first province to confirm it would stop administering first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, citing a scarcity of supply, while Ontario will no longer offer it as a first dose. Future supply would instead be reserved for optional second shots. More than 1,000 appointments cancelled

canada Future of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in question in Canada over blood clots, now estimated at 1 in 55,000 in Canada The future use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in Canada is now in question due to concerns over the increased risk of rare but severe blood clots connected to the shot, an unpredictable future supply and a significant amount of other vaccines. Alberta was the first province to confirm it would stop administering first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, citing a scarcity of supply. The province will instead prioritize mRNA vaccines like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna while reserving existing AstraZeneca for second doses. Ontario's Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Williams announced in an impromptu news conference late Tuesday afternoon the vaccine would also no longer be offered to Ontarians as a first dose and future supply would instead be reserved for optional second shots. But unlike Alberta, Ontario's decision was made largely due to the rising rate of the rare but serious blood-clotting condition connected to the shot known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Williams said that in the past several days there have been a growing number of reports of VITT in Ontario. Out of more than 850,000 AstraZeneca doses given, there are now eight cases in the province as of Saturday at a rate of about one in 60,000 shots administered. Other provinces have yet to follow suit, but there are growing signs the vaccine will not be prioritized in provincial and territorial rollouts across the country.