By Elishya Perera
MONTRÉAL, Québec (CWBN)_ Canada will be among the first countries to receive vaccine shipments from Moderna, amidst criticism sparked against the federal government for falling behind other countries to disclose a detailed vaccine distribution plan.
The US based biotechnology company’s chief medical officer, Tal Zaks, said yesterday (Nov 30) that Canada will be receiving doses from the company’s first batches and a larger shipment to Canada is expected by the early part of 2021.
Moderna also announced yesterday that the company is seeking approval from US and European regulators for its vaccine, which is estimated to have an efficacy rate of 94.1 per cent against COVID-19 and 100 per cent efficacy against sever illness.
The company also said that it had identified no safety concerns regarding the vaccine to date.
“I’m hopeful that you’ll see significant quantities coming to Canada [in the] first, second quarter of next year,” Zaks said. “Those first batches are going to be initially small and it’s going to take some time as we ramp up and accelerate our global manufacturing capacity. But we’re going to do our best to supply this vaccine […] to as many people as we can. Canada’s in the front row.”
It is yet unknown how long it would take for Health Canada to approve Moderna and other COVID-19 vaccines ordered by the federal government.
Canada has signed advance purchase agreements to buy 56 million doses from Moderna and 20 million doses from Pfizer, and on Thursday (Nov 26), deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo said that Ottawa is expecting a combined six million doses from the two companies by March, subject to approval by Health Canada. Since each vaccine is administered in two doses, it would be sufficient for three million Canadians.
Both vaccine candidates of Moderna and Pfizer have applied for the emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration, meaning, unlike the regular authorisation, the companies will be required to continue to study the safety and performance of the vaccines, even after authorisation is granted.
This type of authorisation is granted only when it is determined that the benefits of providing the vaccine outweighs the risks. Prior to receiving the vaccine, those in the US will be given a fact sheet specifying the investigational nature of it and may choose to refuse the vaccine.
Edited by Chathushka Perera
