MONTREAL -- The Quebec government is still pondering whether to lower the eligibility age for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to 40, according to the province's health minister.
Christian Dube tweeted on Sunday night that chief of Quebec Public Health Horacio Arruda has been in contact with his federal counterpart regarding the recommended age.
“We are awaiting the official opinion of our experts in Quebec in the coming hours,” he wrote.
Earlier in the day, the Ontario government announced it would lower the eligible age for the vaccine to 40. The current age of eligibility in Quebec is 55.
While Health Canada has licensed the vaccine for anyone over the age of 18, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended it be given only to those 55 and over, due to a small elevated risk of blood clots. But federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said on Sunday that lowering the age of eligibility falls within a provincial government's jurisdiction.
- With files from The Canadian Press
