Friday, April 3, 2026
ADVT 
National

Priority list too long for first doses: Tam

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Dec, 2020 10:18 PM
  • Priority list too long for first doses: Tam

Canada's chief public health officer says the priority list of people who will get vaccinated first against COVID-19 has to be refined because the initial six million doses won't be enough to cover them all. Dr. Theresa Tam is also worried about the impact anti-vaccination rhetoric will have on Canada's vaccination effort which is critical to ending the COVID-19 pandemic nightmare.

Tam told medical professionals at the 2020 Canadian Immunization Conference today that Canadians can expect larger numbers of doses to arrive in the spring after more vaccines are approved and production has been scaled up.

But she says the six million doses set to arrive between January and March will not be enough to vaccinate everyone on the initial priority list developed by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

Tam says that list, which includes people most at risk of serious illness or death and those most at risk of being exposed, is currently being refined.

She also addressed growing evidence of anti-vaccine rhetoric, appealing to experts in the medical field to use credible evidence to help influence Canadians to trust that a vaccine won't be approved if it is not safe.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. auditor outlines cost of pandemic response

B.C. auditor outlines cost of pandemic response
The government has announced a $5-billion COVID-19 response and a $1-billion contribution to a federal cost-sharing program.

B.C. auditor outlines cost of pandemic response

N.B. leaders begin final push before election

N.B. leaders begin final push before election
Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs used potato fields in Florenceville in the northwest of the province as the backdrop as he called on voters to return his party to government.

N.B. leaders begin final push before election

Health experts criticize Canada's vaccine buys

Health experts criticize Canada's vaccine buys
COVAX is aimed at averting a scramble by individual countries to secure vaccines for their own populations, often by pre-buying doses directly from pharmaceutical companies.

Health experts criticize Canada's vaccine buys

Energy sector seeks reassurance in throne speech

Energy sector seeks reassurance in throne speech
Earlier this year Ottawa scaled back the requirements of the standard over the first few years to give companies more time to recover from the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, but McMillan says that is not enough.

Energy sector seeks reassurance in throne speech

Toronto to open centre for those with COVID

Toronto to open centre for those with COVID
Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Friday the federal government is providing $13.9 million to Toronto Public Health — enough to operate the 140-room isolation centre that opens this weekend for the next 12 months.

Toronto to open centre for those with COVID

Victims of ex-senator deserve better: lawyer

Victims of ex-senator deserve better: lawyer
The evaluator had been tasked to speak with six former employees in Meredith's office and review all materials from a four-year investigation by the Senate ethics officer.

Victims of ex-senator deserve better: lawyer