2nd dose vaccine change: You don't get to choose between Pfizer or Moderna, says Haggie

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Minister John Haggie says most people will no longer have the optionto choose between the Pfizer-BioNTechorModernaCOVID-19 vaccines online when making their appointment for a second dose.

The move comes in the wake of frustration and a scramble as people tried to rebook second-dose appointments that were cancelled by all the regional health authorities from Aug. 6 and onwards in order to be moved up, thanks to an increase shipment in vaccine supply.

While 25,000 new appointment slots were added Monday for the Eastern Health region, many people couldn't book a new time slot.

Pfizer appointments were all but gone by Monday morning, and many people were frustrated.

So even those who managed to snag a Pfizer-specific second-dose appointment are not guaranteed they will get that vaccine.

Instead, theappointments will simply be designated as mRNA vaccine clinics, which means you could getPfizer or Moderna injected into your arm the mix-and-match system.

"Both vaccines are equivalent. There is good science there that it doesn't really matter whether its a Pfizer or a Moderna, and our argument is we will offer what we got," Haggie said Tuesday after question period at Confederation Building.

The health minister said if someone prefers a vaccine other than the one they're offered at their appointment, they can speak with the public health staff andrebook, said Haggie.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunizationhad recommendedthat people take either of the two shots as a second dose, because they both use a similar mRNA technology.

There are a few exceptions.For example, only the Pfizer vaccine is approved for people age 12 to 18,so enough doses must be set aside at all clinics.

Haggie said the change is to ensure that people ultimately get a vaccine when they have an appointment.

"This is because we've changed so that we guarantee that when you make an appointment there will be vaccine there for you," Haggie said.

Central Health was expected to add more clinics later Tuesday, and so will other regional health authorities, he added.

Eastern Health VP acknowledges frustration

A day after CBC News requested an interview to ask about the appointments, Judy O'Keefe, Eastern Health's vice-president of clinical services, acknowledged the frustrations people were feeling

Askedwhy second-dose appointments already booked for August were cancelled when new second-dose appointments couldn't be rebooked yet, O'Keefe said that's the way the system works.

"We weren't able to retain some appointments and then cancel othersand then rebook. And that's why we're trying to make it as easy as possible," she said. More of those slots will be opening soon, she said.

"Every day the public health team is adding availability. It's a day-by-day analysis that happens."

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