The doctor said that buying vaccines to avoid Moderna injections is a “warning”, unnecessary and potentially harmful

The doctor said that buying vaccines to avoid Moderna injections is a “warning”, unnecessary and potentially harmful

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While assisting at the Toronto pop-up vaccination clinic, Dr. Hemant Shah witnessed the growing interest in Moderna vaccines.

After people rolled up their sleeves and received the first injection, they discovered that they were about to take a dose of the Moderna vaccine and asked if they could take the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.

Shah, a physician at the Toronto-based University Health Network, said that many of the people he talked to encountered misinformation on social media or through word of mouth, and mistakenly believed that Pfizer was the better of the two vaccines.

Shah told CBS News: “It’s surprising and kind of shocking to see people prefer one person more than others.”

“Modena and Pfizer are like Mercedes and BMW. You don’t reject Mercedes. You don’t reject BMW.”

Moderna and Pfizer are like Mercedes and BMW. You will not reject Mercedes. You will not reject BMW.-Dr. Shah (Hemant Shah)

Experts say that people know more about Pfizer vaccine because it is more common in Canada and has been in stable supply this year. At the same time, Moderna faces supply and delivery issues, but it is equally effective in preventing COVID-19 infection.

Shah is worried that when someone finds out that they are scheduled to inject Moderna, they may cancel it, hoping to rebook a certain dose of Pfizer.

He said: “To make all of us recover from the pandemic, the most important thing is to get people vaccinated as soon as possible.”

“If people refuse to accept the opportunity for efficient and safe vaccination, it will only postpone the date of our escape from this pandemic in Canada and the world.”

Vaccine shopping is an “emerging trend”

Public health officials across the province have recently begun to express concerns about vaccine purchases, and Hamilton’s health officer, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, said this trend is also happening in her city.

Richardson said in a meeting with Hamilton City Councillors on Wednesday: “People show up, and when they find that they can use Moderna, they choose to reschedule their appointment instead of receiving that Moderna lens.”

Ottawa Health Medical Officer Dr. Vera Etches said that Pfizer’s preference is “an emerging trend” that needs to be addressed.

She reminded the public at a press conference on Thursday that how Moderna and Pfizer vaccines work in preventing COVID-19 infection are almost the same, and their two doses are 94% and 95% effective respectively.

Dr. Erin de Villa, a medical officer at the Toronto Health Service, told reporters on Wednesday that she was asked why there is less discussion about Moderna compared to Pfizer and AstraZeneca. She said it depends on supply, not effectiveness.

She said: “Research tends to focus on Pfizer and AstraZeneca because these vaccines will be available in large quantities in the first half of this year.” “I expect that in the next few months, we will see more research, including Moderna. .”

Dr. Hemant Shah, a liver expert from the University of Toronto Health Network, has been helping pop-up clinics across the city to manage the COVID-19 vaccine. He said that he sometimes meets people who are still reluctant to buy the Moderna vaccine even though they have proven its effectiveness. (Craig Chivers/CBC)

Doctors challenge vaccine preference

Shah provided help at a vaccination clinic near Rexdale in Toronto on Thursday, not only vaccinating adult patients with Moderna, but also vaccinating children 12 years and older with Pfizer. After Health Canada approved the injection for this age group earlier this month.

Some adults asked if they could take Pfizer, but after Shah answered their questions and assured them, they agreed to accept Moderna.

Dr. Jeff Kwong of the Pop-up Clinic in Toronto said he had similar hesitations about Moderna, but he could challenge this idea.

He said: “I don’t think people are familiar with Moderna’s name, but in fact both are good vaccines.” “Most people will change their minds and say:’Well, I think vaccination (Moderna) is reasonable.” ”

For Shah, the exciting thing is that the entire family is now vaccinated together.

“The children are sitting at a table and eating Pfizer. The parents are sitting there and picking up Moderna, and they all go out happily.”

Shah believes that allocating vaccine types by age is a strategy, and this will continue as more children receive vaccinations. This is particularly important for healthcare providers to challenge the hesitation and preference of vaccines. .

Experts say that people may know more about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine because it is more common in Canada, while Moderna faces supply and delivery issues, but it is equally effective in preventing COVID-19 infection. (Mike Segal/Reuters)

But Moderna Continue to face supply problems Early signs indicate that the company will not be able to achieve its goal of sending 14.3 million doses of vaccine to Canada in the first half of this year, and there may be a shortage of 8-10 million doses.

At the same time, Pfizer has delivered more than 15 million doses to Canada since March, and is expected to increase 2.4 million doses per week in June. Therefore, it will remain the most common vaccine in Canada.

Just vaccinated

Dr. Allison McGeer, a member of the Ontario COVID-19 scientific inquiry form, said people have concerns about every vaccine available when they call her.

She said these concerns are usually based on what people read or because they see conflicting reports about online vaccines.

“Everyone has a lot of information, and this information is really difficult to organize.”

However, in the largest vaccination campaign in Canadian history, McGill emphasized that people must calm “consumer preferences and accept vaccination.”

“Considering that you can schedule specific vaccines, this will become more difficult, and you may have to wait longer, which is obviously not a good idea.”

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