Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise of a two-dose fall is looking a lot more like it will become a two-dose August.
Trudeau says Canada is on track now to have 68 million doses delivered by the end of July, which is more than enough to fully vaccinate all 33.2 million Canadians over the age of 12.
Previously Canada expected enough to fully vaccinate 75 per cent of all eligible people before August, but Moderna has now scheduled another 11 million doses to be delivered in late June and early July.
Three in four eligible Canadians now have their first dose, and just under one in five are now fully vaccinated.
Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says there is some signs uptake in first doses is slowing now and efforts are starting to shift from mass vaccination clinics to more targeted operations for people who have struggled to access a vaccine or are hesitant to get one.
She reiterated that Canadians who get one or two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are very well protected against COVID-19, despite new guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization Thursday that all Canadians should only get mRNA vaccines from now on.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault says the Canadian government is also looking at a plan to reopen the United States border to people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Legault, who had a telephone meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the other premiers on Thursday, told reporters today it could happen when current border restrictions expire on July 21.
With files to the Canadian Press.
CHEK News
