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Trudeau: We have enough anti-Covid shots to vaccinate entire eligible population
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement came shortly after the province of Quebec offered a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine for those who require it for travel
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that Canada now has enough vaccines to fully inoculate every eligible person in the country against Covid-19.
Trudeau said that with the arrival of the latest shipment of Covid-19 vaccines, Canada has so far received 66 million doses - enough for fully vaccinate everyone in the country two months ahead of the September deadline he had set.
The Canadian PM’s announcement came shortly after the province of Quebec offered a third dose for those who require it for travel.
“The best way to end this pandemic is for everyone to get their shots as soon as they can,” Trudeau said. “Today’s milestone is a clear sign that we are getting closer to this goal. I urge Canadians to book their vaccine today, to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.”
The effort to bring vaccines into the country was headed by Indo-Canadian minister of public services and procurement, Anita Anand.
“The government has worked extremely hard to deliver vaccines to Canadians as fast as possible, and now has enough doses for every eligible person in Canada - two months ahead of our original projections,” Anand said. “This milestone was made possible by a true Team Canada effort across government.”
So far, 79.66% of those above the age of 12 have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Of the total population eligible for anti-Covid jabs, 57.45% are fully vaccinated, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Canada’s vaccination programme had started in the second week of December last year.
Meanwhile, with Covid-19 vaccines aplenty, Quebec has taken the extraordinary step of offering a third dose to those who need it for travel purposes.
In its latest guidelines, the province said it considers “well protected against Covid-19” those who have received two doses of the AstraZeneca or Covishield jabs or a combination of the two, or one of either followed by an mRNA jab for the second.
In Québec, it said “these individuals are considered to be adequately protected”, but that may not apply in all countries as “there is no international consensus on what is valid proof of adequate vaccination”.
In what it described as an “exceptional measure”, it said “people who are required to get an additional dose of an RNA vaccine can get one in a vaccination centre, if required to travel outside the country”.
However, it warned that such persons “must be properly guided to be informed of the potential risks associated with the additional dose, compared to the benefits of the planned trip. At this time, no study has assessed the impact of such an additional dose”.
A debate is raging in Canada on this matter, since AZ has yet to be authorised in the United States, and Covishield in several European nations, and Canada’s policy of mixing and matching jabs could also be a hurdle for international travellers.
