PM’s fall vaccine goal hinges on approvals
Health Canada reviewing Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca shots
The federal government is relying on health officials to approve more COVID- 19 vaccines to ensure it meets Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s goal of having enough shots for all Canadians by the end of September.
Procurement Minister Anita Anand’s office confirmed the government expects to receive most of the 60 million doses it has ordered of the two already approved vaccines by the end of September.
With officials planning two doses per recipient, Anand told reporters Friday that this unspecified number of vaccines will cover the population “in large part.” But her department is assuming the remainder will be covered by other shots that Health Canada still has not approved, including the vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca that are currently under review. There are almost 38 million people in Canada.
“The numbers that we are using for our predictions are based on the assumption that the vaccines that we have procured will indeed be approved by Health Canada,” Anand said at a briefing on Canada’s vaccination campaign on Friday.
At his own address to the media outside his residence at Rideau Cottage, Trudeau said Health Canada’s reviews of the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca shots are progressing, and that “experts in charge of our vaccine portfolio” are “confident” there will be enough vaccines for all Canadians by the end of September.
The federal government has announced contracts to buy between 214 million and 398 million COVID- 19 vaccines from seven suppliers. Health Canada approved the Pfizer and Moderna shots in December. As of Thursday this week, Canada had received 548,950 doses of these vaccines, and officials say they expect to have six million doses by the end of March.
Supriya Sharma, Health Canada’s chief medical adviser, said Friday that the department’s “rolling reviews” of the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines are “progressing well,” but she did not say when a decision is expected for either candidate. Health Canada is expecting further “key clinical information” on the Johnson & Johnson shot around the end of January or beginning of February, she said, and that more information around safety, efficacy and quality is also required for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“There are still some questions to be sorted through before we make a final decision,” said Sharma.
Earlier Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford repeated his warning that health authorities in the province are running out of vaccines and called on Health Canada to approve the AstraZeneca shot. Ford was among a host of premiers — including Alberta’s Jason Kenney, Manitoba’s Brian Pallister and Quebec’s François Legault — who stated this week that Ottawa is too slow to supply them with doses as provincial vaccine campaigns ramp up across the country.
Federal officials, including Trudeau, stated Friday that Ottawa is pushing vaccine suppliers to deliver Canada’s doses ahead of schedule. But Anand and Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin — the military commander leading vaccine delivery logistics for the federal government — said provinces know exactly how many doses Ottawa has obtained and is delivering to them in the coming weeks, and that it is up to them to plan how to administer them to residents.
“The schedule is in existence, it has been shared with the public and the provinces, and the planning should take place on the basis of that schedule,” Anand said.
Fortin added: “Our numbers are their numbers. They have visibility on what’s coming in both January and February and can plan accordingly.”
As Fortin explained, the government expects to receive six million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by the end of March and has agreed to detailed delivery schedules with the companies that run until the end of February.
Canada receives shipments of Pfizer vaccines every week, and after receiving 124,000 doses this week, Fortin said shipments are slated to increase to 208,000 each week for the rest of January, and then go up to between 366,000 and 367,000 each week in February. By the end of March, Canada should have received four million Pfizer vaccines, he said.
The Moderna shot, meanwhile, comes to Canada in shipments every three weeks. Fortin said that, by the end of March, Canada will have received two million doses of this vaccine.
The government has previously stated it has spent more than $ 1 billion on vaccines for Canadians, and Anand said Friday that Ottawa has now also paid an unspecified extra amount to obtain early doses last month. She also said she is in daily contact with Moderna and Pfizer to speed up vaccine deliveries, and that “we will stop at nothing” to ensure Canadians get the shots they need.
“We are pressing on all fronts to make sure that we do whatever it takes to make sure that we have vaccines in this country as soon as possible,” she said.