B.C. REFUSES TO CALL OUT OTTAWA ON VACCINE DELAY
Brunt of temporary shutdown falls on Canada, leading to a four-week shortfall
Amid growing concerns about Canada's lag in acquiring and distributing COVID-19 vaccines, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix nevertheless vowed last week that not a word of criticism would pass his lips.
“What I've said from the beginning about immunization — and this is our work with Ottawa — we are not critical of them,” Dix told reporters during a briefing Wednesday. “They are working very hard to get as many doses as they can to Canadians, as quickly as they can. We're satisfied with that effort and supporting them in that effort.
“I think we're really working well together,” Dix continued. “The last thing people need in this country is to hear bickering between the federal and provincial governments on something of this magnitude. You won't hear it from us.”
The NDP minister went on to suggest a quid pro quo on vaccines from the federal end: “We expect to be supported in the equally mammoth, or maybe even more technically challenging task, of delivering it to millions of people in our province in a short period of time.”
Dix disavowed criticism of Ottawa during an upbeat media briefing Wednesday on the provincial plan for vaccine rollout in the first quarter of 2021.
Next day, Premier John Horgan weighed in on the same supportive theme.
“We're relying on the federal government to do its best to make sure that we have product here,” he told reporters Thursday. “That scarcity is still a challenge. I'm not throwing any rocks here, it's just something I think all Canadians understand.”
The previous week, Horgan had a virtual meeting on vaccine distribution with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the other Canadian premiers.
Going into the session, Trudeau blamed the provinces for the slow rollout: “All Canadians including me are frustrated to see vaccines in freezers and not in people's arms.”
After some premiers pointed the finger straight back at Ottawa, the prime minister switched to conciliatory language in his wrap-up statement: “We agreed it is vital that we work together as Team Canada to get vaccines delivered, distributed and administered as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
As for last week's supportive comments from the B.C. end, Horgan and Dix may not have realized how soon they would be put to the test as team players.
On Friday, the federal government announced that Canada was facing a shortfall in shipments of the Pfizer vaccine. Deliveries to Canada would be cut in half for four weeks, starting Jan. 25, while the company retools its production facility in Belgium.
The initial word out of Ottawa was that every country in the Pfizer supply chain would be “affected equally.” But that was doubly wrong.
The U.S. will not be affected because Pfizer's American plant is not retooling. And Europe successfully intervened to restore its supply.
Thus the brunt of the temporary shutdown falls on Canada, leading to a shortfall of 655,000 doses over the four weeks.
“It's out of our hands,” said the excuse-making prime minister, never mind how this development undercut his claim that Canada is a world-leader in securing “the very best portfolio of potential vaccines.”
For B.C., the news had to come as a special disappointment. Just two days earlier, Dix had singled out Pfizer for “a really good job in delivering the vaccine so far.”
The provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, agreed that Pfizer had outperformed expectations: “There was a lot of concern by the company ahead of time that the transport of the vaccine would lead to instability and damage, so it wouldn't work. We're not seeing that.
“We're gaining knowledge and confidence in how to use the Pfizer vaccine, so it is no doubt going to be a pivotal part of our program for the coming months.”
The shortfall for B.C. translates into 60,000 fewer doses, about half of the expected deliveries over the last week of January and the first three weeks of February.
“Obviously, any time we get reports that we're going to get less vaccine, we're not as happy,” Dix told reporters Friday. “Obviously when you receive fewer doses, you immunize fewer people.”
The health minister characterized the shortfall as “significant” but also as “temporary.“
On Monday, Henry emphasized that Canada had secured a commitment from Pfizer that the shortfall in deliveries would be made up in March. As a result, the main impact will be a shortterm shift in vaccination strategy.
B.C. has been administering a significant number of first doses of Pfizer in anticipation of the arrival of sufficient supplies to deliver the necessary second dose within the maximum 35-day window.
With the supplies scheduled to be halved for the coming four weeks, second doses will be prioritized at the expense of some on the list to receive first doses.
“It's our hope that this is just a small blip in what's happening,” said Dix, who again passed up the opportunity to blame Ottawa.
“Obviously, the federal government is working very hard to get as much vaccine as possible, and we appreciate that, so we're making no criticism.”
No wonder the B.C. New Democrats are said to be Justin Trudeau's favourite provincial government.
Still, you wonder what B.C. gets in return. It is hard to point to any favourable treatment from Ottawa in the delivery of vaccines or other pandemic relief.
Horgan and Dix may not have realized how soon they would be put to the test as team players.