CANADA PASSES MILLION-DOSE MILESTONE

On Friday, the millionth Canadian received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a milestone that comes weeks later than expected after nearly a month of shrunken shipments from both Pfizer and Moderna. despite the slow start, chief public health officer dr. Theresa Tam said “we can be very optimistic” about the performance of the vaccines so far. While both Pfizer-biontech and Moderna say their vaccines need two doses for full effectiveness, given three or four weeks apart, evidence is mounting that the first dose might be almost as good by itself. Quebec reported Thursday the vaccines had been 80-per-cent effective at preventing COVID-19 two weeks after a single dose for health-care workers, and three weeks after a single dose for elderly long-term care residents.