By Elishya Perera
MONTRÉAL, Québec (CWBN)_Canada is confident that there will be no disruption of COVID-19 vaccine delivery, despite the possibility of the United States blocking their export, since vaccines are manufactured in more than one country, Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Canadian intergovernmental affairs, said yesterday (Dec 08).
US President Donald Trump issued an executive order yesterday, which requires domestically produced COVID-19 vaccines to give priority to Americas when distributing.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday (Dec 07) that the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be delivered next week, however, questions have arisen regarding its availability.
Nevertheless, LeBlanc said the government is confident that there will be no disruptions in delivery, since Pfizer and other companies are obligated to deliver these doses to Canada. He pointed out that while Canada’s purchases are not tied to one specific manufacturing site, the American pharmaceutical company manufactures in Europe as well.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Canada spokeswoman Christina Antoniou said the company is committed to honoring its agreements with Canada. “We are a global company that prioritizes patients all over the world,” she said.
Canada is expected to receive around 249,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this month, and residents and staff from long-term care homes in the country’s hardest-hit province, Québec, are expected to be inoculated as early as next week.
Accordingly, Canada appears to be on track to be the second country to receive the Pfizer vaccine, as the United Kingdom approved it for use last week, and a 90-year-old British woman became the first person to receive the Pfizer vaccine in the UK.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the country has reported 429,035 COVID-19 infections and 12,867 fatalities thus far.
