National

Canada under pressure to change Pfizer doses label

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Jan, 2021 06:59 PM

Canada's procurement department is scrambling to source smaller syringes for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, anticipating that Health Canada will agree to change the label to say each vial of the precious substance contains six doses instead of five.

Pfizer formally requested the change Jan. 22, and Health Canada's regulatory team that approved the vaccine for use Dec. 9 is now considering the new material.

If the label is amended, Pfizer will ship fewer vials to Canada overall because Canada's contract with the vaccine-maker is based on 40 million doses, not vials.

That sixth dose was a surprise find by medical professionals who found using special syringes could extract the extra dose.

But those syringes are not common and have become the latest COVID-19 hot commodity after both Europe and the United States agreed to the label change earlier this month.

A spokeswoman for Procurement Minister Anita Anand says more than 87 million of the smaller syringes have been ordered but can't say how many have been delivered or when the rest will arrive.

We share the urgency of Cdns to ensure vaccine access as rapidly as possible.🇨🇦 is on track to receive doses for all Cdns who wish to be vaccinated by end of Sept.

I am in touch with Pfizer on a daily basis incl. this evening. We're on it & will stay on it until the job is done. https://t.co/z6re02grNm pic.twitter.com/bKQDQC4UWQ
— Anita Anand (@AnitaOakville) January 22, 2021

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Punch thrown at a Port Coquitlam intersection between a pedestrian and a passenger

Earlier this month, a heated exchange between a pedestrian and a passenger in a vehicle ended with a punch being thrown at an intersection in Port Coquitlam.

Punch thrown at a Port Coquitlam intersection between a pedestrian and a passenger

COVID-19 infections rising in young people

More young people are being infected with COVID-19, creating the potential for a severe outbreak, scientists warn.

COVID-19 infections rising in young people

Scientists create polar bear survival timeline

The climate-change clock is ticking on the world's polar bears and a group of Canadian and U.S. scientists say they've determined when that time will run out.

Scientists create polar bear survival timeline

Anxiety high as Canadian schools prepare for students from COVID-ravaged U.S.

Post-secondary students from the pandemic-riven United States are getting ready to go back to school in Canada — a rite of passage that's causing more anxiety than usual for parents and front-line university workers alike in the age of COVID-19.

Anxiety high as Canadian schools prepare for students from COVID-ravaged U.S.

UPDATE: B.C. officer dies following off-duty assault

Abbotsford Police Force Constable Allan Young who was on life support has now died of his injuries.

UPDATE: B.C. officer dies following off-duty assault

Surrey RCMP charge man with 17 mail theft offences

Following a four-month investigation, charges have been laid against a 30-year-old Surrey man in relation to a series of mail thefts that occurred in multiple Lower Mainland jurisdictions.