Will Canada be able to offer one dose of vaccine to every adult before Canada Day?
Decision on J&J vaccine ‘days away’
OTTAWA — Canada is on the cusp of authorizing a fourth vaccine for COVID-19, raising the possibility that every Canadian adult will be offered at least one dose before Canada Day.
Dr. Supriya Sharma, the chief medical adviser at Health Canada, said Thursday the review of Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine “is going very well.”
“It’s progressing, and we’re expecting to have that completed and a decision in the next few days,” Sharma said at a virtual news conference from Ottawa.
Johnson and Johnson, which was authorized in the United States last weekend, would join Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca on Canada’s list of approved vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have been in use since December, with more than 1.5 million Canadians now vaccinated with at least one dose.
Canada’s deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said that with new vaccines being approved and moves by provinces to delay second doses, more Canadians will be vaccinated at a faster rate.
Canada is in line to get 26 million more doses of Pfizer and Moderna, and at least 3.5 million of AstraZeneca by the end of June. Those deliveries alone would be enough to offer a first dose to every Canadian over 16 years of age by Canada Day.
Meanwhile, pharmacies in three Ontario regions, including Toronto, will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines next week.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said pharmacies will receive doses of the recently approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The province has said those shots will go to residents aged 60 to 64 based on federal recommendations.
“A large number will be delivered through pharmacies because it’s easier to handle,” Elliott said of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
“It will be very helpful as we’re trying to roll out the COVID vaccines as quickly as we can to protect as many people as possible.”
Elliott said Ontario will soon be releasing a revised immunization timeline that accounts for expected shipments of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot and new guidance on extending the interval between doses to four months.
“We know that people are anxious and we’re anxious to let them know when they will be able to receive the vaccine,” she said.
The Ontario Pharmacists Association said the pilot will begin with approximately 380 pharmacies in Toronto, Kingston and Windsor-Essex, with the first shots to begin possibly as early as Tuesday.
“It’s a move in the right direction,” CEO Justin Bates said in an interview. “We’re more than happy to partner and be a solution, and we’re looking forward to a successful rollout beyond March.”
Bates said pharmacies will use their own booking systems to make vaccine appointments since a provincewide web portal isn’t set to launch until March 15.