Some changes to the timeline for a COVID-19 vaccine in Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says pending Health Canada’s approval, the first batch of Pfizer’s vaccine will be arriving as early as next week.
Trudeau says 14 initial vaccination sites have been identified, and will be prepared this week.
They will all be in urban centres because of the refrigeration needed to keep the vaccines at -80 degrees Celsius. Trudeau says the government will work with remote Indigenous communities to ensure they aren’t left out of vaccine distribution.
The country has also secured doses of six other vaccines, with a total of three million doses set to arrive at the beginning of 2021.
Vaccination team lead Major General Dany Fortin believes they should be able to start vaccinations only “a day or two” after receiving the Pfizer doses.
Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand says the “last kilometre” of distributing the vaccine will rest with the provincial and territorial governments.
