• Canada becomes first nation to approve 4 shots,
TORONTO — Canada is getting a fourth vaccine to prevent COVID- 19 after the country’s health regulator cleared the Johnson & Johnson shot, which works with just one dose instead of two, officials said Friday.
Health experts are eager for a one-and-done option to help speed vaccination. Canada has also approved vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, making Health Canada the first major regulator to approve four different COVID-19 vaccines, said Dr. Supriya Sharma, Health Canada’s chief medical adviser.
Like many countries, Canada does not have domestic production and has struggled with an immediate shortage of vaccines. The U.S. so far isn’t allowing locally made vaccines to be exported, so Canada — like the United States’ other neighbor, Mexico — has been forced to get vaccines from Europe and Asia.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada has an agreement with J&J for 10 million doses before September. It was not immediately clear when Canada
would get its first shipments of those.
But Mr. Trudeau said Pfizer would deliver an additional 1.5 million doses to Canada in March and
another 1 million doses ahead of schedule in both April and May.
“We have reasons to be optimistic. We’re going to be able to move things forward,” Mr. Trudeau said. “But at the same time, we also know that these are global supply chains that are being set up, and there’s always possibility for disruptions.”
The U.S. approved the J&J shot last month. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it offers strong protection against what matters most: serious illness, hospitalizations and death. One dose was 85% protective against the most severe cases of COVID- 19 in a massive study that spanned three continents — protection that remained strong even in countries such as South Africa, where the coronavirus variants of most concern are spreading.
J&J also is seeking authorization for emergency use of its vaccine in Europe and from the World Health Organization. The company aims to produce about 1 billion doses globally by the end of the year. Last month, the Middle East island nation of Bahrain became the first to clear its use.