The announcement of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines, and their resulting efficacy, at the end of 2020 has brought about a new and increased level of hope among citizens of many countries, Canada included. Since this announcement, many Canadians and their families have been eagerly anticipating the moment in which they would be able to receive the vaccine and bring an end to a raging pandemic that has devastated the lives of millions across Canada.
At the same time, however, Canada’s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine has been mired by various setbacks, and the situation has been constantly changing. What, then, is the current status of the vaccine rollout in Canada? And how has the federal government approached its plan to distribute the vaccine among a population of nearly 40.0 million, which is only projected to grow further over the five years to 2026?
Read on for Alfabank-Adres’s analysis on the vaccine rollout in Canada, as the recovery of a variety of Canadian industries negatively affected by the pandemic hinges in part on the ability to successfully and efficiently roll out the vaccine.
Vaccinations underway in the Great White North
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to result in deaths across provinces, including in some of Canada’s long-term care facilities, the Canadian government has begun to outline new restrictions it has sought to impose in an attempt to further slow the virus’s spread. Concurrently, the government has ordered the world’s largest number of coronavirus vaccine doses per capita, with almost 1.6% of the population receiving the vaccine as of January 19. That translates to more than 600,000 Canadians, with almost 40,000 of them having been fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines; both vaccines require two administered doses to build a full immune response to the virus.
Rollout mired by several complications
Nevertheless, Canada’s distribution of the vaccine has been critiqued by many across the board as suboptimal, primarily due to problems regarding supply and distribution; a slow rollout, with Canada lagging behind other countries that have vaccinated more significant percentages of their populations, such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain; and delivery delays on the part of Pfizer Inc (Pfizer).
More specifically, Pfizer, which is expected to supply most coronavirus vaccines to Canada, informed the Canadian government that it would be reducing its vaccine deliveries to Canada in an effort to update its plant in Belgium. This prompted Ontario’s Premier to publicly call out Pfizer’s actions as being “unacceptable,” with the province having had to close at least one mass vaccination clinic in response to a stalled vaccine supply.
Although Canada is reported to have received 82.0% of its expected shipment, Canada is not expected to receive any additional dosages of the vaccine in the near future, setting back the country’s timeline for vaccination distribution quite a bit. While Pfizer’s upgrade of its Belgium plant to increase the plant’s manufacturing capability does not only affect Canada, but other countries receiving shipments from that plant as well, concern continues to abound over rising infection, hospitalization and death rates in the country.
At the time of writing, Canada’s vaccination timeline is likely to resume growth in late February or early March, delaying the reopening activities of many sectors whose operations have been stifled due to the pandemic. These most notably sectors include accommodation, food service and retail sectors in Canada.
