Ottawa must be clearer on vaccine rollout: expert
TORONTO — As some provinces push for clarity on when they will receive their share of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccines, one expert said Monday the government should be more transparent about the terms of its contracts with the companies making the shots.
Kerry Bowman, who teaches bioethics and global health at the University of Toronto, said it’s likely Ottawa doesn’t have the information the provinces are seeking regarding the timing and quantity of vaccine deliveries, particularly if its contracts with drugmakers are conditional.
But if that’s the case, he said, the federal government should state it clearly or risk eroding public trust in its system.
While news that COVID-19 immunizations could begin in some countries in a matter of weeks is good for Canada in the long term, it will lead to widespread frustration in the near future if the country is lagging behind, he added.
“There’s benefits to all of humankind, no matter who’s getting it,” he said.
Still, “if two weeks from now, the news is full of us watching people all over the world being inoculated, including the United States, and we’re not, there’s going to be some very unhappy Canadians.”
As well, he said, any delay in immunization translates to more COVID-19 cases and deaths, and mounting economic strain.
“People will die and other people’s lives will continue to be ruined until we pull out of it.
And so, to me, whether it’s this month or that month [that we get the vaccine] is not irrelevant — it’s highly relevant,” he said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford renewed his calls Monday for a clear delivery date for the province’s share of vaccines, stressing that “the clock is ticking” when it comes to fighting the novel coronavirus.
Ford said he was set to speak to Pfizer, one of the drugmakers that has entered into an agreement with Canada, on Monday afternoon but expected to be told the information must come from Ottawa.
The premier cited reports that other countries, such as the United Kingdom, are on track to start immunizations soon, adding Ontarians “need answers.”
Meanwhile, the American biotech company Moderna said Monday the first 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine will be shipped to the United States next month.
The chairman of the American vaccine maker told the CBC on Sunday that Canada is near the front of the line to receive the 20 million doses it pre-ordered, confirming that the country’s early commitment to purchasing the shots means it will get its supply first.
Moderna is one of several companies to have already submitted partial data to a “rolling review” process offered by Health Canada.