WATCH: ‘The best shot is the one that is in your arm;’ Hamilton doctor touts AZ vaccine

A Hamilton-based trauma physician shared a video to his Instagram account Monday (April 19) touting the benefits of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and urged residents to get their shot.

In the video, Dr. Dashminder Sehdev, who is a physician with Hamilton Health Sciences — who is wearing a T-Shirt with a picture of a needle and says ‘This is the way,’ the motto of the storied Mandalorian order from the Star Wars universe — addresses concerns about the rare blood clot that has been linked to the vaccine.

“How rare is it?” Sehdev asks in the short video.

“Well, let me tell you this. If every single person in Ontario got the AstraZeneca vaccine who is eligible for it, we would have around 50 people get the clot.”

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CN2R69wHB0y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

He also said that in the off chance that one develops the rare clot, it’s detectable and treatable in most cases.

“That clot is something that guys like me and my esteemed colleagues are very good at finding,” he said.

“We know what a central venous sinus thrombosis is like. We can detect it and, even better, most of the time we can treat it.”

Sehdev concludes his video with a shot of the field hospital that is currently being erected outside of Hamilton’s General Hospital on Wellington Street to drive home the fact that hospitals are being overwhelmed.

“You don’t want to end up there, man,” he said. “Please, if you’re a front-line worker over the age of 40, particularly if you’re in a hot zone, please, please get your shot. AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Moderna – the best shot is the one that is in your arm.”

To date, 156,724 vaccines have been administered locally.

As of Tuesday (April 20), the age eligibility in Ontario for the AstraZeneca vaccine was dropped to 40. Across the province, demand for the shot from those in the lower age group has soared.

In Hamilton, two clinics to be held on Saturday (April 24) and Sunday (April 25) at the FirstOntario Centre that will administer the AZ vaccine. Both clinics have been fully booked.

Pharmacies are also offering the AZ vaccine but again, supplies and appointments are limited due to high demand.

To learn more about vaccine eligibility and the rollout in Hamilton, visit the city’s website.