Another vaccine delivery likely to come up short

OTTAWA • Another delivery of COVID-19 vaccine bound for Canada appears likely to come up short this month, but it's unclear just how many fewer doses Canada can expect.

Moderna has been making regular deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine since December and provided 180,000 doses to the country this week, but that is a more than 20 per cent reduction from the 230,000 doses the company was originally set to deliver. The company delivers shipments to Canada every three weeks and the next delivery is due the week of Feb. 22.

That late February shipment was supposed to be approximately 250,000 doses, but the federal government can no longer confirm that figure. A briefing document prepared by the Public Health Agency of Canada and provided to the provinces was obtained by the National Post and it warns that shipment is uncertain.

“The week of Feb. 22 will also be impacted, but Moderna can not confirm allocations for that week yet,” reads the document.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu's office said they do not yet have all the details, but the company is expected to meet its obligation to provide two million doses by the end of this quarter.

“We still expect to receive two million doses of the Moderna vaccine by the end of March, and while the scheduled delivery for the week of 22-28 February is still expected, final shipment details have not yet been confirmed by the manufacturer,” Hajdu's office said.

Canada has only approved two COVID-19 vaccines, with others in regulatory review. Pfizer has reduced its shipments to Canada for three weeks, with continued low numbers expected next week, before they ramp up.

Patricia Gauthier, Canada Country Manager for Moderna, said vaccine manufacturing is a highly complex process and the company has worked at a breakneck pace to ramp up.

“In normal circumstances, it may take three to four years to prepare for the industrial launch of a vaccine. Moderna is proud of its achievements to date with the support of its partners,” she said in an email.

She said they have told countries about possible delays, but they will be short term and they will meet their goals for the first quarter.

“Moderna confirms that, as it scales manufacturing, it is on track to supply the next three months of deliveries and meet its Q1 and subsequent contractual commitments,” she said. “Moderna remains in close contact with our federal government partners, recognizing the importance of delivery planning for vaccination rollout.”