The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

The Ontario government says 254,500 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to Ontario the week of May 17.

Officials said Wednesday the AstraZeneca doses will be used as second shots.

On Tuesday, Ontario paused the use of first shots of AstraZeneca in the province due to safety concerns and supply issues.

Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution because of increased instances of an extremely rare and potentially fatal blood clotting disorder, vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), linked to the shot.

However, Williams also said data from the U.K. suggests there is much lower risk of blood clots in second doses of AstraZeneca.

Should those who received the AZ vaccine be concerned about getting the second dose?

ALSO: Mix & Matching & Canada virtue signalling while waffling on global access to COVID-19 vaccines.

GUEST: Dr. Joel Lexchin, Professor Emeritus with School of Health Policy Management and Faculty of Health at York University, and a former consultant to the Federal Government and World Health Organization

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The mixed messages continue. Trust in the AstraZeneca vaccine will likely dip even lower now that Ontario has paused all first dose usage.  

According to new data from Proof Strategies’ 2021 CanTrust Index, trust in vaccines is now at 74 per cent, up 10 points from 64 per cent in January. Though, trust is not equally shared among the four leading brands. 

GUEST: Josh Cobden, Executive Vice President of Proof Strategies

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The federal and provincial governments will spend a combined $3.4 billion to build a light-rail transit system in Hamilton, but city council will likely still have to buy into the plan.

Catherine McKenna, federal minister of infrastructure and communities, and Caroline Mulroney, Ontario minister of transportation, announced the joint commitment Thursday morning.

The money, which amounts to $1.7 billion per level of government, will cover the cost of building a 14-kilometre line from McMaster University in the west end to Eastgate Square in Stoney Creek. The line would run alternately down King and Main streets.

GUEST: Chad Collins, City Councillor, Ward 5

GUEST: Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, MP for Ottawa Centre

The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

Ontario will no longer give the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine as a first dose due to the risk of rare blood clots.

Dr. David Williams, chief medical officer of health, said on Tuesday that the province made the decision due to an increase in cases of a rare blood clotting syndrome known as Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT) linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

"Effective today, Ontario will be pausing the rollout and administration of first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine at this time," Williams told reporters on Tuesday.

Williams said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution. The blood clotting syndrome, while rare, can be fatal.

According to the Ontario health ministry, as of May 8, more than 853,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were administered with a rate of VITT of roughly 1 per 100,000 doses administered. 

How do you feel about the government suspending the vaccine?

CALLER SEGMENT

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VACCINE PASSPORTS AND RESTRICTIONS

GUEST: Dave Scholz, Executive VP of Leger

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The Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) have reached a 5-year agreement, with a team option for a multi-year extension, with Spectra managed Core Entertainment to relocate the team’s home games to Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre beginning with the 2021-22 season.

GUEST: Jamie Dawick, Owner of the Toronto Rock Lacrosse

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Tuesday the federal government will invest over $12 billion in public transit projects in Ontario, including a rapid-transit development in Hamilton.

The PM says the rapid-transit line in Hamilton will go from McMaster University, through downtown, to Eastgate in Stoney Creek.

A formal announcement is set for Thursday and is a continuation of the largest single announcement of transit funding in Canada’s history made on Tuesday.

GUEST: Richard Brennan, Former Journalist with The Toronto Star covering Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill

GUEST: John Best, Founder of the Bay Observer