AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ

Written By Christina Ng

April 13, 2021

How does the AstraZeneca vaccine compare to other COVID-19 vaccines?

  • Their efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infections cannot be directly compared to each other, since the vaccine trials were done at different times, locations, and number of variants.

  • Most importantly, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer vaccines are all 100% effective in protecting you against serious complications of COVID-19 infections. This means that even if you were infected with COVID, you will not get hospitalized or die from it.

  • In comparison,  COVID-19 infection has a ~7.7% chance of hospitalization and of those, ~17.6% would be admitted to the ICU.

How safe is the AstraZeneca vaccine?

  • The most common side effects are arm soreness, headache, tiredness, and generally feeling unwell. However, they should go away within a few days. You can take Tylenol (acetaminophen) for pain.

  • It is not associated with an increased risk of overall blood clots.

  • There may be an association with very rare cases of serious blood clots. The risk is estimated to be around 0.000001 - 0.0000001% (one in one hundred thousand or one in a million), and even lower in people aged 55 years and above.

    • The symptoms of serious blood clots develop in 4 to 20 days. These include shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, sudden onset of severe or persistent worsening headaches or blurred vision, skin bruising (other than at the site of vaccination) or petechiae.

    • Please give us or your doctor a call if you experience any of these symptoms within 4 to 20 days after the vaccination. 

How do I prove that I have gotten the first dose of vaccine?

  • We will be registering your information onto a provincial database. You should receive an email within the next 24 hours indicating that you have received the first dose of vaccine.

What about the second dose?

  • We have not received any information or authorization to do the second AstraZeneca injection yet. Currently, the government is recommending a second dose in one to four months. We will try to contact everyone that we have vaccinated for a second dose when we receive the authorization and vaccines. You can also leave your information on our website to join the second dose waitlist. Please let us know if you decide to get your second dose elsewhere.

Thank you for choosing to receive your injection with Victoria Park Pharmacy! We hope you stay safe and healthy during this time.

 Sincerely,

Victoria Park Pharmacy Team

1314 Victoria Park Avenue | (416) 752-0888 | www.victoriaparkpharmacy.com

Christina Ng
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