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Canada set to receive 168,000 of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in December

Canada set to receive 168,000 of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in December

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that Canada is set to receive 168,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before the end of December, pending Health Canada approval.

These dose are part of the 40 million doses Canada has secured from Moderna and deliveries could begin within 48 hours of regulatory approval.

“No one and no community will be left behind,” Trudeau said. “We have a plan to reach everyone who wants a vaccine no matter where they live.”

The prime minister went on to stress that because the Moderna vaccine does not have the special logistical requirements as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, like the ultra-cold temperature storage requirement, it makes the Moderna vaccine a better candidate for remote, northern and Indigenous communities.

Canada is also set to receive about 200,000 more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will be ready to administer at 70 sites in the country.

“We need to be incredibly careful,” Trudeau said. “Vaccines are already here but we need to make it through this winter in the best possible situation.”

When the prime minister was asked about private companies getting access to vaccines, be maintained that Canada’s priority is to give all Canadians access to a safe and free vaccine as soon as possible.

“Private companies can make their decisions as they wish, none of that will have any impact on the fact all Canadians who want one will get a free vaccine in the coming month of 2021,” Trudeau said.

Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, said that by September 2021, all Canadians who want to be vaccinated will be able to do so.

Recommendations for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is recommending that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine not be administered to immunosuppressed individuals or people suffering from autoimmune disorder, Canadians who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and adolescents between the age of 12 and 15.

“However, if a risk assessment deems that the benefits of vaccine outweigh the potential risks for the individual (e.g. where the risk of severe outcomes of COVID-19 and risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 is high) or for the fetus/infant (in the case of pregnancy/breastfeeding) and if informed consent includes discussion about the insufficient evidence in this population, then a complete series of authorized COVID-19 vaccine may be offered to individuals in the following populations,” the recommendations read.

NACI has also advised that individuals should continue to practice public health measures, even after being vaccinated, “due to insufficient evidence on the duration of protection and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing asymptomatic infection and reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2.”

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