National

Higher dose count factored into Pfizer's shipments

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Jan, 2021 06:50 PM

Pfizer and BioNTech are already assuming Canada will agree its COVID-19 vaccine vials contain six doses instead of five and are using that to project how many vials it will send Canada in the coming weeks.

Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo says Health Canada is still reviewing the request to formally change the label and is examining whether that sixth dose can be extracted consistently.

Canada has some existing supply of the special syringes needed to do so and two million of a recent order for 37.5 million of them are to arrive in Canada starting Feb. 4.

But in the meantime Pfizer is already using the new six-dose formula in its allocation of vaccines for Canadian shipments through to the end of March.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin says if Canada doesn't agree to the label change, Pfizer will increase the number of vials it sends to meet its contract for four million doses.

However a planning document sent to provincial governments by Ottawa this morning lays out the doses coming at the five-dose formula, which left provinces believing they will be shorted half a million doses of vaccine this quarter.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

In the 2016 presidential election, there were approximately 620,000 Americans in Canada who were eligible to cast ballots, though only around 32,000 did.

Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

COVID-19 deaths hit racialized communities hardest: Stats Can

The report's authors say it is more evidence that the pandemic is disproportionately affecting visible minorities, who are more likely to live in overcrowded housing and work in jobs that put them more at risk of exposure to COVID-19.

COVID-19 deaths hit racialized communities hardest: Stats Can

EI commissioners: start review of safety net now

The shortcomings in EI, flagged for years by experts, have been exposed by the pandemic, including that not every worker is covered, nor can everyone who is covered get benefits when they need them.

EI commissioners: start review of safety net now

Steep drop in right whale population raises fears

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that as of January 2019, an estimated 366 North Atlantic right whales remained in the ocean, down from the previous count of 412 in 2018. Oceana Canada campaign director Kim Elmslie said the decline is "a reality check."

Steep drop in right whale population raises fears

Innovation minister defends 'superclusters'

The B.C.-based Digital Technology supercluster invested recently in a machine-learning chest X-ray tool that helps doctors identify lung abnormalities.

Innovation minister defends 'superclusters'

Meng lawyer accuses RCMP officer of lying

Yep is the first in a series of witnesses called to testify at the request of Meng's defence team, which is gathering evidence for arguments it will make next year that she was subjected to an abuse of process.