"We can and should share more vaccines with them. " The White House is currently making plans to provide by June some 60 million doses of AstraZeneca — a vaccine that has not received approval for use in the U. — to countries around the world, including Canada. However, a number of Canadian provinces, including Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia, have stopped administering AstraZeneca as an initial dose, citing evidence of an extremely rare blood clot disorder in a small number of people who received the vaccine. Some 655, 000 doses of AstraZeneca have been received from the global vaccine-sharing alliance known as COVAX, but in many cases they are being reserved primarily as second doses or for people who can't take other vaccines. Canada has confirmed 18 cases of the disorder in patients who received the AstraZeneca shot and 10 others are under investigation. Higgins first wrote to Biden back in February to urge the president to get serious about drafting a plan to reopen the border, proposing much the same as he did Friday: a gradual easing of restrictions with a full reopening in time for the July 4 holiday.
WASHINGTON — A U. S. lawmaker who has made a political crusade out of getting the border with Canada reopened is again pressing his case with President Joe Biden — and this time, he believes he has the Centers for Disease Control on his side. The CDC's decision to no longer require fully vaccinated Americans to wear face masks in virtually all situations, including indoors, is an "affirmation" of the power of the COVID-19 vaccines, New York Rep. Brian Higgins wrote Friday in a letter to the White House. Higgins, a Democrat, urged Biden to "directly engage" with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in order to widen the definition of essential travellers by the end of May, with an eye toward fully reopening the border by early July. "Trends in vaccination and the most recent guidance from the CDC affirm that the time is right to do this safely and effectively, " the letter reads. "This decision underscores the minimal risk Americans will pose to Canadians when crossing the border to visit family and property. "