Last checked at 
(Updates with restrictions in Regina, Saskatchewan; high
schools reopening for daily class in Quebec)
By Steve Scherer
OTTAWA, March 23 (Reuters) - Canada on Tuesday said the
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and will continue
to be recommended for use despite criticism from U.S. officials
of the drugmaker's analysis of the shot's efficacy in a large
trial, health officials said.
"The message is that the efficacy and the safety of the
vaccine have been shown," senior Health Canada official Marc
Berthiaume said. "It continues to be beneficial for Canadians to
prevent COVID-19."
Deliveries of coronavirus vaccines are ramping up in Canada,
with some 2 million doses of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE
and Moderna Inc vaccines coming this week. The
United States said it is sharing 1.5 million doses of the
AstraZeneca vaccine with Canada as early as this week.
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases said on Monday that the independent monitoring board
charged with ensuring the safety and accuracy of AstraZeneca's
latest trial said the company may have given an incomplete view
of the shot's effectiveness. The company has since said it will
publish up-to-date results https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2BF1RE
from its latest trial within 48 hours.
"We will look at the complete data package (from the U.S.)
sometime in April, and will assess and communicate the results,"
said Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Health Canada, the
federal health ministry. "The bottom line is that doesn't change
recommendations on the AstraZeneca vaccine at this time."
There will be a delay of a day or two on delivery of Moderna
vaccines this week, Alberta's chief medical officer of health
said, adding that bookings for shots will not be affected.
Canada also said it would give C$23.7 million ($18.9
million) to Ontario to open more voluntary isolation sites for
those who become infected with the virus and need a place to
quarantine as cases surge.
Saskatchewan's provincial government imposed new
restrictions in the city of Regina and surrounding area,
including a ban on private indoor gatherings, due to a spike in
infections caused by highly contagious new virus variants.
Quebec, which has avoided a third wave of infections, will
allow its older high school students to attend class daily
starting March 29.
Canada has recorded 940,000 virus infections and more than
22,700 deaths from COVID-19.
($1 = 1.2561 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Additional reporting by Rod Nickel
in Winnipeg and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Grant
McCool and Bill Berkrot)
