WINNIPEG - The Public Health Agency of Canada says they’re expecting a massive shipment of COVID-19 vaccine doses this week as Manitoba announces another shot administration milestone. The feds say 3.3 million doses are on their way from multiple big pharma companies, the largest influx of deliveries for the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to send just under 1.2 million doses, and AstraZeneca has sent about 1.5 million shots by truck, scheduled to arrive tomorrow, a first for shipment from facilities in the United States. Except for half a million AstraZeneca doses from India, Vaccine doses so far have come to Canada from Europe. The agency also says Moderna is sending us 600,000 doses on Thursday, a week later than originally planned.
The federal government is monitoring restrictions in Europe and India against vaccine exports, and vaccinations continue to ramp up across Manitoba amid concerns about variants of the virus and a third wave of COVID-19. The deliveries come as Manitoba completes vaccinations among more than 10 per cent of adult Manitobans, with over 163,000 doses administered to people across the province in the last four months.
Minister of Health and Seniors Care Heather Stefanson says it's encouraging to see that the work of the Vaccination Implementation Task Force has led to so many Manitobans being protected from COVID-19, and notes a lot of that work, from planning to delivery services across the province, went on behind the scenes.
Individuals can sign up to be notified when it’s their turn to be immunized, and get more info on the provincial vaccine program here.
What do you think?