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TORONTO – Promising news from both Moderna and Pfizer about the hunt for a successful COVID-19 vaccine caused a whirlwind of questions about how the vaccine would be launched in Canada as the number of cases continues to set records in provinces around the country.
But despite officials from both Ontario and Alberta claiming a specific number of early doses of the vaccine, federal officials don’t talk about how many vaccines each province will receive once they are approved by Health Canada.
On Wednesday, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said the province plans to receive 2.4 million combined doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines during the first three months of 2021, with more to follow after.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, also commented on the initial vaccine launch on Wednesday, noting that the province plans approximately 465,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 221,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The province’s health minister later echoed these numbers, noting that vaccines will likely arrive in Alberta “early 2021”.
Officials from both provinces say their governments are participating in Canada’s national procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, but federal officials will not confirm these numbers, nor whether a federal decision has been made on how doses will be divided between the provinces.
When pressed on the matter Wednesday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu did not confirm Ontario’s projections, noting that the federal government is working with provinces and territories to determine distribution, similar to how it determines sharing of devices. individual protection.
“The way we have negotiated with provinces and territories when we procure contracts on behalf of all Canadians is to ensure that we do so in collaboration and through negotiations with all the provinces and territories at the table,” Hajdu said.
“Those negotiations continue. They have been very smooth to date. As you know, we have agreements for the distribution of personal protective equipment, for the rapid test and we will use the same approach with vaccines. “
Speaking Wednesday at CTV’s Power Play, Parliamentary Health Secretary Darren Fisher went so far as to say he “didn’t know” where Elliot got his numbers.
“I’m not aware of where he got his numbers,” he said when asked if Elliot was wrong in his projection of how many initial doses of the vaccine Ontario would receive.
“I’m not sure what the provinces have for the possible numbers that could arise depending on which contract produces a successful, Health Canada-approved vaccine that is safe for Canadians.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) also declined to comment directly on how the remaining doses of the vaccine would be administered.
“Final vaccine assignment and launch will ultimately be determined by federal, provincial and territorial governments (FPT) and will be informed by the National Immunization Advisory Committee (NACI) final guide on key populations for early COVID immunization. -19, “a PHAC spokesperson told CTV News via email Wednesday.
“Vaccine allocation and launch will be determined by FPT governments, informed by NACI councils.”
Pfizer announced Wednesday that it intends to seek US approval for emergency use of its vaccine after new test results showed it is 95% effective, safe, and works to protect vulnerable seniors.
Likewise, Moderna’s preliminary analysis suggests their shot is 94.5% effective and is also nearing the point where it can be submitted to the USFDA for emergency use clearance.
Hajdu said both manufacturers have filed approval in Canada as well, which will allow regulators to receive and review the data as it arrives. Health Canada will still need to approve both vaccines before they can be distributed – a process experts say may take longer in Canada than in the United States.
The government of Canada had already signed agreements with Pfizer for a minimum of 20 million doses and Moderna for 56 million doses. It also has deals with three other companies that are developing COVID-19 vaccines.
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