Pfizer slowdown sparks revamp of schedules
OTTAWA • At least three provinces are now temporarily delaying or pausing COVID-19 vaccination programs amid fallout from Pfizer's decision to reduce Canada's vaccine deliveries over the next month.
More than half a million Canadians have been vaccinated against COVID-19 thus far, and more than 822,000 doses of the two approved vaccines have been delivered from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
But all provinces are being forced to revisit their vaccination programs after Pfizer suddenly told Canada on Friday it would be cutting the doses delivered in half over the next four weeks, while it upgrades its factory in Belgium. Pfizer was to ship 735,150 doses to Canada between Jan. 18 and Feb. 14.
Canada's deliveries after the partial pause will be bigger than previously expected so Pfizer can fulfil its contract to deliver four million doses by the end of March. About 600,000 doses have been delivered from Pfizer so far.
The new delivery schedule has not yet been posted publicly, but provinces are preparing for the temporary downturn anyway.
Manitoba stopped taking appointments for first doses Friday but will honour appointments already made.
Ontario's chief medical officer, Dr. David Williams, said Saturday his province would delay giving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine to 42 days, instead of the recommended 21 days. The 28-day schedule for Moderna's vaccine will remain intact, said Williams.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Monday his province has “quite simply run out of supply” of COVID vaccines and is no longer taking appointments for people to get their first doses. “I am deeply disappointed at the situation we are now facing,” said Kenney. “Due to the unexpected supply disruption the federal government announced last week, Alberta will have no more vaccine doses available to administer as first doses by the end of today or early tomorrow.”
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said his province is considering whether to adjust the dosing schedule. B.C. had already changed the 21day second-dose schedule to 35 days, but Dix said that may change again because of the delivery shortages.
Alberta hit a milestone on Sunday by delivering the first doses of vaccine to all residents of its long-term care facilities. Ontario still anticipates hitting its first target of inoculating 61,500 long-term care residents, staff and primary caregivers by Thursday.
Pfizer is trying to double its production to two billion doses this year and is planning to temporarily curb production at its Belgian facility to make upgrades that will allow for that increase.