COVID-19 VACCINATION IN CANADA AND ONTARIO-UPDATES
- Prof. (Dr) Usha
- Mar 6, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 25
As per the most recent National vaccination coverage data, in Canada, 3.63% of the population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, 2.22% of the population have received only one dose and 1.42% of the population have received two doses. Very recently, Health Canada has authorized Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and its use and released details during this week’s announcement. This one-dose COVID-19 vaccine is now approved for use in Canada and as per vaccine experts the shot from Johnson & Johnson could give a major boost to countrywide vaccination efforts while offering a "real solution" to hasten the end of the pandemic. This vaccine is a non-replicating viral vector option and unlike the three other vaccines previously approved for Canadian use, was tested during clinical trials as a single shot.
Thus far, Canada is expecting 10 million doses, with options to purchase up to 28 million more if necessary, with most of those shots are expected to arrive by the end of September. As per our health authorities, our vaccines supply will not arrive, though, all at once, so distribution will happen in stages. The goal is for everyone in Ontario to be able to get a COVID-19 vaccination if they want one, as soon as enough doses are available from manufacturers.
The major benefits of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 single shot vaccine as proclaimed by the authorities are-
More people can be vaccinated in a shorter period of time
Only single dose suffices versus two doses need of other vaccines. That means— it's one and done."
The storage requirements are also less stringent than the early freezer requirements for the two mRNA-based vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna
Johnson & Johnson estimating its single-dose option should remain stable for two years at -20° C — and can be stored for at least three months in most standard refrigerators.
Updated delivery timeline says Canada may be able to fully vaccinate 14.5 million people by June. Deliveries of COVID-19 vaccine doses from two approved vaccine makers — Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — are back on track following weeks of reduced shipments, officials from the Public Health Agency of Canada said recently. Moreover, an updated delivery timeline released by PHAC says Canada should receive millions more doses than originally anticipated between now and September.
It projects that Canada should have enough doses from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to fully vaccinate 14.5 million people by the end of June, and 42 million by the end of September. If the companies follow through with deliveries on schedule, it is expected that Canada would have more than enough doses to fully vaccinate the country's entire population by September.
The timeline also shows that Canada could have enough doses to vaccinate even more people — 24.5 million — by the end of June. But that calculation is based on an optimistic scenario where three other vaccines currently under review — from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax — are approved by Health Canada and delivered on time.
Facts- Number of Corona Cases, deaths and Testing
The daily assessment of corona cases provides a sense of whether the number of new infections is growing or reducing and how quickly. However, there is a period of few days between each of the following: infection, the onset of symptoms, testing and test results. That explains that the numbers typically reflect new infections from several days and sometimes more than a week ago. Since the number of reported cases depends on how much testing is being done and how targeted or widespread it is, epidemiologists contemplate deaths to be a better indicator of the actual number of infections and the progress of the pandemic. While it takes a couple of weeks for an infected person to be reported as a positive case, death occurs, on average, more than three weeks after a person has been infected.
The researchers are of this opinion that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 doesn't seem to mutate as much or as quickly as the influenza virus that causes the flu. Moreover, even with the existing, more transmissible variants of concern, those people who have been vaccinated are not falling severely ill or dying from COVID-19 in large numbers.
The good news is that the both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna say their COVID-19 vaccines appear to be effective against two variants of viruses first identified in the U.K. and South Africa, based on blood samples from people who have been vaccinated. The success rate of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is the highest of any candidate in late-stage clinical trials so far, and experts are very hopeful. Both vaccines are developed with new messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, have raised hopes for an end to a pandemic. Nevertheless, more research is necessary on these vaccines.
With vaccine makers and officials preparing to tackle legal and management obstacles, take-home message for the general public should be to continue wearing masks, physically distance, wash hands frequently, and avoid large gatherings until a high proportion of the population is vaccinated and we can finally emerge into a Covid-19 free world!
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