Fact check: How provinces are handling the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine stoppage - CBC.ca | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Business

Fact check: How provinces are handling the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine stoppage – CBC.ca

Published

 on


Monday is the first day of a week-long Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine drought in Canada.

Canadians found out last Tuesday that Pfizer will not be sending any shipments of its COVID-19 vaccine to Canada this week. The company blames the interruption on the need to revamp its production facility in Puurs, Belgium, in order to adjust to increased demand for its product.

And while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet that Pfizer’s CEO has personally reassured him that Canada remains on track to receive four million doses by the end of March, the sudden change in plan has several provinces scrambling to readjust their vaccine rollout scheduling.

Extending time between 1st and 2nd doses

Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two shots, within a few weeks of each other.

In the wake of the supply interruption announcement, Saskatchewan became the latest province — and sixth Canadian jurisdiction overall — to reveal it would stretch the time frame between first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine beyond the 21 days recommended by the drug company itself. 

Jurisdictions that are delaying second doses:

Alberta: up to 42 days 

British Columbia: up to 42 days

New Brunswick: up to 42 days

Ontario: up to 42 days

Quebec: up to 90 days

Saskatchewan: up to 42 days

In a news release, the province cited guidance from the National Advisory Council On Immunization (NACI) that the interval between first and second doses could be extended up to 42 days.

“Saskatchewan will be implementing those recommendations of up to 42 days where operationally necessary,” the release said.

And that necessity may come sooner than later. At a news conference soon after the Pfizer delay was announced, Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe said he expected the province would “run out of vaccines” within a few days, based on the current pace of deliveries.

Health officials in Manitoba are also flagging the possibility that they may run out of vaccines. 

In an email to CBC News, a provincial spokesperson said Manitoba is dealing with the break in Pfizer shipments by “matching appointments with available supply,” and intends to keep every first and second dose appointment already made. 

But without additional shipments, the spokesperson said, Manitoba will use all its available Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by February 7. 

WATCH | The scramble to manage vaccine doses during Pfizer delay:

Pfizer told Canadian officials there would be delays in deliveries of its vaccine, but the delays now mean Canada will receive zero Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines next week. It’s left provinces scrambling to manage the doses they have left. 2:42

Focus on completing immunizations

Authorities in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario are readjusting their schedules to provide more second dose shots during the Pfizer-BioNTech interruption.

They are among provinces that decided not to hold back large numbers of the vaccine, reserving them for second doses. That means this break in supply has them reprioritizing how they use the doses they have.  

B.C.’s second-dose campaign began last Wednesday. That marked 36 days from the first doses administered there — close to the 35-day time frame the province’s chief medical officer of health announced in December.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a news conference that any available Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will go toward completing first doses in long-term care homes, and beginning to give second doses. He said second doses will make up a higher percentage of doses administered over the next few weeks. 

On the evening of Jan. 25, the province announced it will now wait up to 42 days to begin administering second doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine.

In Alberta, all first dose appointments have been postponed, and health officials say they’re turning their attention to delivering second doses. 

While Alberta is not regularly reporting second dose vaccination numbers, new data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released Friday showed the province had administered 4,075 second doses, cumulatively, by the week of Jan. 16. 

In a news conference on Thursday, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw reiterated a promise that her team would do its “utmost” to ensure everyone who received a first dose in that province would receive a second dose within 42 days. 

Further east, Ontario’s vaccination teams also switched gears soon after Pfizer announced the delay. 

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health announced people who received a first dose would now receive a second dose up to 42 days later.

The exception: people in long-term care homes and high-risk retirement home residents, their essential caregivers and staff in those homes. That group is supposed to receive their second doses no later than 27 days apart. 

WATCH | Doug Ford vows to keep up pressure on vaccine maker:

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he’s angry that other countries will still get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine while supplies to Canada slow down. ‘We’ve got to be on these guys like a blanket,’ said Ford of Pfizer. 1:37

A Quebec exception

Authorities in Quebec have said their priorities are virtually unchanged. 

Soon after the supply interruption was announced, the Quebec health ministry said its plan to complete first-dose vaccinations for people living in long-term care by Monday, Jan. 25, was still on track.

The ministry has, however, lowered its target of providing 250,000 doses by Feb. 8, to 225,000. 

Residents at the Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Côte Saint-Luc, Que., sent a legal notice to the province on Jan. 6, 2021, accusing the Quebec government of breach of contract when they did not get their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine within 21 days of the first shot. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

On Sunday, the ministry released a statement saying its plans to begin the second phase of its vaccination program — ramping up shots in private seniors residences — has now been delayed because of the temporary stoppage in Pfizer-BioNTech shipments. 

Officials in Quebec have faced opposition, even a lawsuit, over their plan to stretch the timeline between first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine up to 90 days. 

Atlantic provinces smooth transition 

In the Atlantic provinces, the practice of holding back vaccines for second doses and building buffers of extra time for potential interruptions in supply are preventing the need for major changes to vaccine rollouts during the supply slow-down. 

Prince Edward Island is the first province or territory to reach a vaccination rate of one per cent of its population. Health authorities started second-dose vaccinations there during the first week of January. 

Debbie Lawless, right, a registered nurse at a Charlottetown nursing home, becomes one of the first front-line workers in Prince Edward Island to receive the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 16, 2020. P.E.I. is the first province or territory to reach a completed vaccination rate (people with first and second doses) of one per cent of its population. (Brian McInnis/The Canadian Press)

In a news release, provincial health authorities had promised everyone living and working in long-term care and community care facilities will have received their first dose by Sunday. They are set to begin receiving their second doses this week. 

A provincial spokesperson for New Brunswick told CBC News in an email that the province plans to use its “existing Pfizer-BioNTech supply” to conduct second-dose clinics over the next two weeks. 

“Knowing that hold-ups can happen, our plan has always taken into account that 2nd doses would be administered within 28 days and in many cases our inventory has been managed accordingly,” wrote Shawn Berry. 

He said their logistics plan had a built-in “14-day window,” that would allow them to meet the time-frame of 42 days between doses, if needed. 

Nova Scotia will keep holding back second doses until it is guaranteed there will be no interruption in supply.

And in Newfoundland and Labrador, there are plans to redistribute some Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to long-term care and personal-care homes to make up for the delay of about 7,800 doses that will not arrive this week.

Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut are not affected by the Pfizer-BioNTech interruption, because they are only using doses of the Moderna vaccine. 

Let’s block ads! (Why?)



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

Published

 on

 

Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:T)

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

Published

 on

 

CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

Published

 on

 

BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version