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

House of Commons can manage virtual voting securely if MPs want it, Speaker says

House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota says he is comfortable the technology is in place to safely allow MPs to vote remotely during the hybrid Parliament sittings.

House of Commons can manage virtual voting securely if MPs want it, Speaker says

Feds continue to add to COVID-19 supply stores to meet future demand

Planes and boats loaded with personal protective equipment and other COVID-19 supplies continue to arrive in Canada as the federal government moves to increase the domestic stockpile of crucial gear.

Feds continue to add to COVID-19 supply stores to meet future demand

Press pass offering little defence for journalists caught in the U.S. fray

Press passes and television cameras, once powerful symbols of neutrality that helped protect journalists working in combat zones, are providing little defence for reporters and crews covering the escalating urban conflict in the United States.

Press pass offering little defence for journalists caught in the U.S. fray

Joint federal-provincial inquiry into N.S. mass shooting a good option: top expert

As pressure mounts on the federal and Nova Scotia governments to call an inquiry into one of the worst mass killings in Canadian history, the country's leading scholar on inquiries says Ottawa and the province should do the right thing and work together on a joint inquest.

Joint federal-provincial inquiry into N.S. mass shooting a good option: top expert

As U.S. boils over, Trudeau says systemic racism in Canada must be addressed

As long-standing anger about discrimination boils over in the United States, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canadians must recognize there is systemic racism in their own country.

As U.S. boils over, Trudeau says systemic racism in Canada must be addressed

Metro Vancouver homes sales fall 44 per cent in May, but prices are high as ever

Home sales in the Greater Vancouver area continued their steep year-over-year drop last month amid confinement measures and physical distancing requirements related to the COVID-19 pandemic.