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new estimate for when all canadians can get vaccine
it moves up a previous estimate from health officials that suggested all canadians would have acccess by december 2021.
dec 17 2020
3 minute read
tamara dus, director of university health network safety services, administers a pfizer-biontech covid-19 vaccine at a hospital in toronto on monday, dec. 14, 2020.
the canadian press/frank gunn
the first doses of the covid-19 vaccine have started rolling out to high-priority groups, but a new timeline by the public health agency of canada (phac) suggests that all canadians who want the shot can now get it by september 2021.
“based on current data, by the end of q3 2021, canada projects having a sufficient number doses to be able to offer a vaccination to every canadian,” a spokesperson for phac said in a statement . the third quarter of the calendar year includes july, august and september.
dr. howard njoo, canada’s deputy chief public health officer had previously estimated that the end of december 2021 is when all canadians can expect to have access to safe and effective vaccines to protect against covid-19. in recent weeks, health officials and federal covid-19 briefing documents also suggested that the country’s immunization response would likely be completed by the end of next year.
phac’s new timeline comes after its review of the country’s vaccine supply data that suggests that canada will be sufficiently equipped to offer the vaccine to all canadians by september.
according to canada’s covid-19 immunization plan , the federal government has secured up to 418 million doses through its purchase agreements with seven pharmaceutical companies. partnerships with multiple companies help to ensure that canadians can have access to the best and most effective vaccines. any unused doses may be donated to countries in transition.
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if pfizer, moderna, medicago, astrazeneca, johnson & johnson, novavax and sanofi-glaxosmithkline can meet the planned timelines for manufacturing, clinical trials, results, regulatory filings and the delivery of vaccines, canada’s immunization program may be completed earlier than previously estimated, according to phac. prime minister justin trudeau has said that about 168,000 doses of the massachusetts-based moderna vaccine will be available in canada by the end of the month if regulatory approval is secured.
“as with the early shipments of the pfizer vaccine, this moves us even further forward on getting canadians protected as quickly as possible,” trudeau said.
but until the vaccines are widely deployed across canada and herd immunity is achieved, public health measures will have to continue in order to slow the spread of covid-19, decrease the severity of the disease, mortality, and the burden on populations that have been disproportionately affected.
“i think at this juncture, it’s really important that we keep up with public health advice and measures at the same time as we’re gradually ramping up the vaccination program,” dr. theresa tam, canada’s chief public health officer, told cbc news network’s power & politics . she is urging canadians to stay vigilant as the existing spike in cases across the country is proving more difficult to manage — even more so than the first wave.
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a new ispos/radio canada survey revealed that only 36 per cent of canadians polled said that they’d get vaccinated as soon as possible, while 53 per cent of canadians said that they would prefer to wait for several months. about 11 per cent of those polled were undecided and 16 per cent of respondents said that they would not get vaccinated.
the u.s. expects to have its vaccination program completed even earlier than canada.
dr. anthony fauci, the director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases told msnbc that depending on the “efficiency of the rollout,” the covid-19 vaccines should be widely available to most americans by spring. covid-19 vaccines should be available to most americans by spring.
but in spite of that, he says that mask usage, enhanced public health protocols and event cancellations may continue throughout 2021 and beyond.
“only when you get the level of infection in society so low that it’s no longer a public health threat can you then think about the possibility of then pulling back on public health measures,” fauci said.
maja begovic is a writer with healthing.ca.
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