Canada on track to deliver 1.3 million COVID-19 vaccines by end of January, says Trudeau

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admits it’s “frightening” to see COVID-19 case numbers rise day after day at home and around the world.

On Friday, he said he and the country’s premiers have agreed it’s “vital” everyone works together as one team in Canada to get people vaccinated “as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”

The prime minister met with the provincial and territorial leaders virtually on Thursday to discuss the pace of vaccinations country-wide.

“The premiers and I also discussed ways to combat misinformation. Vaccines are safe and effective and everyone should be doing their part by getting vaccinated once it’s their turn,” he said.

He also announced that more than 124,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were delivered in Canada. Going forward, more than 208,000 doses of the manufacturers drug will arrive weekly for the remainder of the month.

Meanwhile, more than 171,000 doses of Moderna’s vaccine are expected to arrive in provinces and territories by the end next week.

“We’re on track to deliver approximately 1.3 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by the end of January,” Trudeau said, adding efforts will “scale up” next month.

Related articles: 

• No unexpected side-effects from COVID-19 shots given in Canada so far: Health Canada

• ‘We are a long way’ from achieving herd immunity, says B.C.’s top doctor

• Online calculator estimates when Canadians will get COVID-19 vaccine

“Remember that Canada has the most vaccines secured per capita in the world, which means that by September, we will have enough vaccines for every Canadian who wants one.”

The pace of provinces’ vaccine rollout programs has come under question recently, after data showed Canada was behind some of its allies in distributing the shots to its citizens.

Earlier this week, Trudeau expressed his frustration, promising to bring the subject up with the premiers.