Vaccine plans differ province to province

The largest mass immunization effort in Canadian history began Dec. 14 in Ontario and Quebec after the country received its first COVID-19 vaccine shipment over the weekend.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada has signed a contract to receive up to 168,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine by the end of December, ahead of their planned January arrival and part of 40 million Moderna doses Ottawa has secured for delivery by the end of 2021.

The Moderna vaccine has not yet been approved by Health Canada, but Trudeau said deliveries could begin within 48 hours of it getting the green light.

Canada is also set to receive about 200,000 of its total early shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech doses next week, on top of 30,000 this week. They are bound for 70 distribution sites across the country — up from 14 now — where the vaccine can be administered.

Here’s a look at what the western provinces have said about their rollout plans:

Manitoba

A doctor who works in an intensive care unit became the first person in Manitoba to get the COVID19 vaccine Wednesday.

Premier Brian Pallister says some 900 health-care workers in critical care units will be the first to receive the vaccine.

As more shipments come in, priority will be given to other healthcare workers, seniors and Indigenous people.

The province plans to vaccinate more than 100,000 people by March -- that’s roughly seven per cent of Manitoba’s population.

Officials say they’ve been setting up a large-scale “supersite” to deliver the vaccine. The first freezer able to store the Pfizer vaccine at low temperatures has been delivered and installed, with another four on the way.

The province says the vaccine will become more widely available at a larger number of sites, similar to a conventional vaccination campaign, such as the annual flu shot.

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan began its vaccination program Tuesday as two health care workers got the first shots.

Premier Scott Moe says the province received 1,950 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine.

The first official stage of Saskatchewan’s vaccination program will be in late December when the province receives more doses.

It will target more health-care workers, staff and residents in long-term care, seniors over 80 and people in remote areas who are at least 50.

Some 202,052 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are expected to arrive within the first quarter of next year, and there are to be 10,725 weekly allocations.

Moe says vaccinations for the general population is expected to begin in April.

Alberta

The first vaccinations in Calgary and Edmonton were given Tuesday to health care workers.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced in a video released late Monday and recorded next to a cargo plane at Calgary International Airport that the province’s first 3,900 vaccine doses had arrived.

Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro said 25,000 Pfizer doses are coming next week and will be administered to health workers.

Doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected by the end of the month.

The province says it eventually plans to roll out the vaccine from 30 different locations.

British Columbia

The first COVID-19 vaccination was administered Tuesday in British Columbia as those working in long-term care facilities and intensive care units become the first people to take part in the province’s immunization program.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said last week that an initial shipment of 4,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be available at two clinics in the regions covered by the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health authorities, before immunization is eventually expanded to 30 sites.

Henry has declined to reveal the locations of the clinics.

Workers in long-term care facilities are at the top of the list to get the vaccine.

Henry expects about 400,000 people to be vaccinated by March.

The province said it is developing a system so people can register to get the vaccine and receive a formal record of immunization.