Canada nears 11 million vaccinations as top officials say more are on the way
Posted Apr 22, 2021 05:01:20 PM.
OTTAWA (CityNews) – Canada has passed a significant milestone of having administered over 10.8 million COVID-19 vaccines.
Canada’s deputy chief public health officer tried to reassure Canadians Thursday vaccines are making it into arms, as many Canadians struggle to make appointments for their shot.
“This week was our slow week. Next week, with a million of Pfizer and 650,000 of Moderna, it’s another step up,” said Major General Dany Fortin, vice president of logistics and operations with the Public Health Agency of Canada.
According to officials, nearly 30 per cent of adult Canadians have received one dose of the vaccine, with 86 per cent of seniors aged 80 and up having received their first dose.
But the roll out is still hitting unexpected bumps in the road.
“As for Moderna last week, the manufacturer indicated it faces ongoing challenges with ramping up production to meet intense global demand. As a result, our next shipment will be smaller than expected,” added Fortin.
Supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine is also hitting snags as manufacturing in India is being impacted by an explosion of COVID-19 cases.
Despite the delays, Fortin says Canada is still in good shape.
“The total amount of vaccine doses this quarter alone is well above 40 million… and we’ll feel that significant increase starting the week after next.”
So far, Ottawa has distributed almost 14 million doses of vaccines to provinces and territories.