Today in coronavirus vaccine news
As COVID-19 vaccination efforts unfold worldwide, there will inevitably be moments of progress and setbacks. The Star offers a daily look at the “one step forward, one step back,” nature of the road to vaccination.
One (big) step forward …
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine has been approved for use in Canada, likely enabling accelerated COVID-19 vaccination rollouts across the country.
The announcement was made Friday morning, and it means four vaccines are now available for use in Canada, which is lagging the U.S. and U.K. in vaccine rollout, despite having ordered more vaccines per capita than any other country.
The Janssen approval is especially good news because the vaccine requires only a single dose, and can be kept at regular fridge temperatures.
Canada has ordered 10 million doses of the vaccine, and has the option to buy another 28 million doses, but the delivery of the Janssen vaccine is not expected to be imminent.
The 10 million doses already ordered will not begin to arrive until April at the earliest, according to Joelle Paquette, the director general for vaccines at Public Services and Procurement Canada.
Health Canada’s projected vaccination timeline previously showed that 24.5 million Canadians would be fully vaccinated by the end of June with approvals of the AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax vaccines, in addition to the already-approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The only one on that list not approved now is Novavax, and that vaccine candidate is currently under review.
The number of Canadians to get a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June will be even higher, after the National Advisory Committee for Immunizations this week recommended a four-month interval between the first and second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. That should let provinces get more first doses into more arms in the months ahead.
… and one step back
In the first three months of Ontario’s vaccination program, a small percentage of the total vaccine doses received have gone to waste, an issue the opposition NDP raised in question period this week.
The total doses wasted were 1,500, which is enough, NDP Leader Andrea Horvath pointed out, to fully vaccinate 750 people.
The wasted doses account for only 0.1 per cent of Pfizer vaccine received by the province, and 0.2 per cent of Moderna vaccine.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said a certain amount of waste is expected for every vaccination program.
The Pfizer vaccines are a particular challenge because they need to be kept at extremely low temperatures of -60 C at most. Vial damage and a freezer failure explained some of the loss.