Canada secures 20 million more doses of Pfizer vaccine

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) — The federal government has landed an agreement with Pfizer for another 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday Canada will have 80 million doses in total arriving this year from Pfizer and Moderna.

“We’re on track to have every Canadian who wants a vaccine, to receive one by September,” he said.

The federal government is making plans with provinces and territories to ensure vaccines are distributed as efficiently as possible.

“We’ve let all provinces and territories know exactly how many vaccines they’ll be receiving every week between now and the end of February. This will make sure that they have the vaccines and the information they need to keep rolling out doses as quickly, as smoothly and as efficiently as possible,” he said.

By June, it is expected that more than half of the country will have the ability to be vaccinated.

“On top of that, we will, of course, continue to work to get even more vaccines delivered as soon as we can,” Trudeau said, adding it’s possible to have Canadians vaccinated sooner.

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The announcement means B.C. will also be able to meet its goal of being able to immunize everyone who wants the shot by the fall.

B.C.’s top doctor has expressed optimism that a more easily distributed vaccine, like the one from AstraZeneca, could be approved for use in Canada by the summer.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said vaccines have been trickling in, but the pace isn’t expected to pick up until at least April.

-With files from Liza Yuzda

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