Province could face vaccine delays as Pfizer slows global output for retooling

Health-care workers and seniors will have to wait longer to get a COVID -19 vaccine in Alberta as a result of Pfizer's shipment delays to Canada.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro said Friday he didn't have details on how many units of the Pfizer vaccine were headed for Alberta after the manufacturer announced temporary global delays to upgrade its facility.

He said he was disappointed by the news and the province had hoped to start vaccinating seniors soon, but that schedule is now in question.

“This work will continue so we are ready when doses do arrive, but it will mean more people are on standby, waiting,” he said.

“However, we will not stop. We just will not stop. Health officials will continue giving out what vaccines we do have as quickly as possible.”

He said the province will focus on vaccinating residents and staff at long-term care and supportive living facilities throughout the province, and will continue immunizing health-care workers as quickly as possible. By Thursday, 74,110 doses of the vaccine had been given.

Alberta's first phase of the rollout began last month focusing on health-care workers in ICU, respiratory therapists, and staff in long-term care and designated supportive living facilities.

“Phase 1A” began this month adding home care workers, longterm care and supportive living residents, paramedics and EMS, and health-care workers in emergency and operating rooms, and COVID-19, medical and surgical units.

“Phase 1B” was expected to begin in February focusing on seniors 75 and older, and people 65 and older who are First Nations or Métis, or living in First Nations communities and Métis settlements.

Last year, the province said it would reserve half its stock to make sure the first group got the second booster, but changed course.

Shandro said Friday some doses were held back initially as shipments were unpredictable.

“We don't regret that decision now. We communicated, and very clearly needed to get vaccines out as quickly as possible,” he said.

He said the province understands the risk of shipments being disrupted, but Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines are still arriving on a weekly basis.

Canada will receive 20 per cent fewer Pfizer vaccines next week, 80 per cent the following week, and then 50 per cent for the following two weeks, Shandro said.

Prior to the delay, Alberta was scheduled to have 24,375 doses of the Pfizer vaccine delivered in the next two weeks, and then 42,900 for each week of February.

Alberta was slated to get 17,100 Moderna vaccines this week, another 24,600 the first week of February, and 27,000 the last week of February according to federal data.

Meanwhile, senior medical officer of health Dr. Lauren Macdougall said a problem with Alberta Health Services' online booking system for vaccination appointments hit a snag Thursday evening but was quickly rectified.

NDP health critic David Shepherd said the government continues to change its story on readiness to give vaccines.

“On Thursday, it was reported there were thousands of vacant appointments that health-care workers could sign up for. On Friday, Albertans were informed that some vaccination appointments would be cancelled in weeks to come and Tyler Shandro was unable to clarify how we could have both excess and a shortage,” he said in an email statement.

“Albertans need leadership. We need to hear from the experts, not members of the UCP cabinet that are prioritizing scoring political points over providing clear information. This government has lost the trust of the people.”

Alberta confirmed 785 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths from the disease Friday. Five of the deaths were in the Edmonton Zone and linked to outbreaks in continuing care.

A second case of the South African variant was detected Thursday.

There were 796 people in hospital of which 124 were in ICU. Another 13,575 tests were completed.

Alberta has 12,189 active cases including 4,355 in the Edmonton Zone. There have been a total of 115,370 COVID -19 cases and 1,402 people have died.

The most recent R values were at 0.9 for Alberta and 0.8 for the Edmonton Zone. A rate below one means transmission is decreasing.

Nationally, 17,538 people have died from COVID-19 and there have been 688,891 cases, according to Health Canada. Globally more than 1.9 million people have died amid more than 91 million cases of the disease.