National

Pfizer first planned February rollout in Canada

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Mar, 2021 06:16 PM

The president of Pfizer Canada says when the company signed a purchase agreement last August it didn't expect its vaccine to get approved here until February.

Cole Pinnow also told the House of Commons health committee today that changes to the dosing schedule and conflicting advice could make more people vaccine hesitant.

On Aug. 1, Canada signed an agreement with Pfizer to buy at least 20 million doses, with the option to buy 56 million more, and approval was not expected until early 2021.

Health Canada ended up approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in December 2020.

Pinnow told the committee it was only in November that the federal government and Pfizer realized the approval could be imminent and began moving quickly to deliver doses to Canada months earlier than planned.

He also says the National Advisory Committee on Immunization did not contact Pfizer before it recommended changing delaying the second dose from three weeks to four months after the first shot.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver Police identifies city's 15th homicide victim

The VPD’s Major Crime Section is continuing to investigate Mr. Wanke’s murder. His remains were found in a large recycling bin in the water off of Kits Point on October 18.

Vancouver Police identifies city's 15th homicide victim

Conversion therapy ban approved in principle

O'Toole allowed his MPs a free vote on the issue, part of his bargain with social conservatives that helped him secure the Conservative leadership in August.

Conversion therapy ban approved in principle

Blair pledges to address prison isolation concerns

Prisoners transferred to the units are supposed to be allowed out of their cells for four hours each day, with two of those hours engaged in "meaningful human contact."

Blair pledges to address prison isolation concerns

Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

In the 2016 presidential election, there were approximately 620,000 Americans in Canada who were eligible to cast ballots, though only around 32,000 did.

Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

COVID-19 deaths hit racialized communities hardest: Stats Can

The report's authors say it is more evidence that the pandemic is disproportionately affecting visible minorities, who are more likely to live in overcrowded housing and work in jobs that put them more at risk of exposure to COVID-19.

COVID-19 deaths hit racialized communities hardest: Stats Can

EI commissioners: start review of safety net now

The shortcomings in EI, flagged for years by experts, have been exposed by the pandemic, including that not every worker is covered, nor can everyone who is covered get benefits when they need them.