N.B. changes definition of ‘serious’ COVID-19 reactions, cuts number in half – CBC
Serious reactions drop to 154 from 313 after province adopts federal definition to enable comparison of data
Nov 10, 2023
New Brunswick has changed how it defines “serious” reactions to COVID-19 vaccines and using this new definition, the number has been cut in half.
There have been 154 serious adverse events following immunization reported over a 32-month period ending this past summer, according to Department of Health spokesperson Sean Hatchard.
That’s one serious incident for every 13,550 COVID-19 vaccinations administered in New Brunswick between Dec. 14, 2020, and Aug. 26, 2023 — a significant improvement over previous reports.
The province had been reporting 313 “serious and medically important” reactions before the definition of what constitutes a serious reaction was changed.
New Brunswick adopted the definition of a serious adverse event used by the Public Health Agency of Canada in February, Hatchard confirmed. “This was done to align with the national definition … which allows for more effective comparisons of data with other Canadian jurisdictions,” he said.
