Data from Feb. 9 shows that the U.K. had vaccinated 20 per cent of its population to date. By Feb. 10, the data showed the U.S. had vaccinated 13.5 per cent of its citizens. Canada, on the other hand, had vaccinated just over three per cent of its population by the same date.
However, these numbers don’t necessarily mean Canada is failing at its vaccination rollout, according to one expert.
“We’re not the U.K., we’re not the United States. We don’t have that same degree of buying power,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist.
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“Do we honestly think that we’d be in a different situation with different leadership? I don’t know. I don’t think so. I think they’ve made the best of a very challenging situation.”
1:00 Coronavirus: Canada’s vaccine strategy to ramp up at end of Q1, Njoo says
Coronavirus: Canada’s vaccine strategy to ramp up at end of Q1, Njoo says
Bogoch explained that the world of vaccines is a competitive one right now, and Canada isn’t the biggest player in the game — a factor that further complicates our efforts.
“The strategy taken was to procure as many vaccines as possible in a global market that’s difficult to navigate, and that’s putting it politely,” Bogoch said.
He added that Canada isn’t getting a whole lot of help from our allies, including the United States, as they race ahead in the world vaccination rankings.
“Our best friend and neighbour is producing vaccinations so close to home you could shoot a hockey puck and hit Ontario from the factory in Kalamazoo, (Mich.). But they’re not sending any vaccines our way. So we have to get them from Europe,” Bogoch said.
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“I mean, all things considered, I think we’re — I know it might sound like an unpopular opinion — but I think it’s rolling out as expected.”
1:22 Coronavirus: WHO says hoarding vaccines ‘keeps the pandemic burning’
Coronavirus: WHO says hoarding vaccines ‘keeps the pandemic burning’ – Jan 29, 2021
The government has defended its vaccine rollout to date. Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said a multitude of factors creates an uneven vaccination field around the world.
“It’s always challenging to compare different countries because every country has its own particular context, geographical factors, the way the health care system is set up and so on and so forth,” Njoo said.
“I think we just need to focus and concentrate on Canada — we are on track. Certainly, the doses are being rolled out as we’ve just indicated, (we’re) making good headway in terms of our seniors and also our health care workers, and as well in the northern territories. I think the rollout’s gone very well.”
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Despite assurances, Canada’s vaccine rollout has come under fire as delivery delays hit Canada’s expected shipments from both Pfizer and Moderna, leading to fewer vaccine doses arriving in Canada during late January and early February than had previously been pledged. While both companies say they plan to fulfill their promised dose deliveries by the end of March, opposition MPs have already started to slam the vaccine rollout.
“I want this government to succeed but Trudeau has botched the vaccine rollout. Without vaccines, Canadians won’t be able to get back to work and we won’t be able to reopen our economy,” said Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole in a tweet on Feb. 5.
2:18 Canada drawing COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX sharing plan shows Trudeau ‘has no plan’ says O’Toole
Canada drawing COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX sharing plan shows Trudeau ‘has no plan’ says O’Toole – Feb 4, 2021
Still, the man in charge of Canada’s vaccine rollout logistics is maintaining that Canada remains on track to offer the vaccine to every Canadian who wants a dose by September.
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“We will get 40 million of each of those vaccines (from Pfizer and Moderna) over the coming months, in total. We’re … on a trajectory for a total of six million doses at the end of this quarter, 20 million in the next one and so on, so forth,” Maj-Gen. Dany Fortin said on Thursday.
“I think it’s very promising. We’re on the right trajectory.”
Bogoch said that if Canada meets this target, concerns about our current ranking on the world’s vaccination stage will likely become a distant memory.
“People are looking at where we are right now. But I think the other important thing to look at is where are we going to be in the middle and at the tail end of 2021,” Bogoch said.
“If we truly have our vulnerable populations vaccinated in April (or) May, and if we truly have anyone who wants a vaccine in Canada vaccinated by the tail end of the summer or in the early fall, I would think that’s a pretty reasonable success. I think that’s a fair win.”
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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