EDMONTON -- Procurement Minister Anita Anand said Thursday that the federal government is not stockpiling COVID-19 vaccines, noting that the provinces are responsible for allocating unused doses.
Addressing concerns that some 800,000 unused doses may be sitting in storage, Anand said vaccines are being delivered to provinces and territories as soon as they come into the country.
“The federal government isn’t stockpiling any vaccines right now,” Anand told CTV’s Your Morning.
“The federal government isn’t seeing those vaccines at all, they go directly to the point of use… we’re really hoping the provinces and territories will continue to ramp up their inoculation processes because we need Canadians to get vaccines in their arms as soon as possible.”
In all, Canada has received 4.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and about 73 per cent of those have been administered.
According to CTVNews.ca’s vaccine tracker, Canada has received 4,228,280 vaccine shipments as of Thursday morning, 3,421,832 of which have been administered. That leaves some 806,000 doses unaccounted for.
Anand says the federal government is continuing to work with the provinces to promote a smoothe vaccine rollout.
“We do have the Public Health Agency of Canada and Maj. Gen. Fortin leading the effort in communication with the provinces and territories every day, and indeed there is a great deal of coordination that is occurring right now,” said Anand.
“[But] Let’s remember that we’re still in the beginning of the largest mass vaccination campaign in Canadian history, and indeed in global history, and there will be bumps in the road.
We all have a lot of work ahead of us, but from my perspective, the procurement perspective, the vaccines are arriving and they’re coming like a rocket… the federal supply is continuing to increase.”
During a media briefing Thursday, officials said Health Canada anticipates a total of 36.5 million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca by June 30.
If provinces follow the advice to delay second doses up to four months, and providing there are no production delays, Canada will have received enough vaccines to give a first dose to every adult who wants one before Canada Day, according to Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin.
Canada's deputy chief public health officer, Dr. Howard Njoo, says 42 per cent of Canadians over the age of 80, and 12 per cent of those between 70 and 79, have now received their first dose of vaccine.
Njoo added that the country is seeing “very encouraging signs” related to the rate of serious illness and hospitalization in this country, noting that vaccines are key in preventing serious illness.
Anand said that the federal government is already in conversation with vaccine manufactures to ensure Canada has a health supply chain in the future.
“We are not only focused on the short-term, we’re focused on the medium- and the long-term, putting in place contracts that will continue to serve Canadians for years to come,” she said.
