Deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to Canada continue to ramp up, with 9 million doses expected from Pfizer-BioNTech in the month of July alone.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the news on Tuesday.
“That means that between now and at least the end of July, we’ll continue to get over 2 million Pfizer doses a week,” he said.
Canada signed a deal with Pfizer in April to increase deliveries. As part of that agreement, Pfizer was expected to deliver 12 million doses in June.
These totals don’t include shipments from Moderna or AstraZeneca.
Tuesday’s update comes as Canada gets set to receive its largest weekly shipment of vaccines to date.
“This week, we’re receiving 4.5 million vaccine doses, including a shipment from Pfizer that has been moved up ahead of the holiday weekend,” Trudeau explained.
“It will help Canada keep within the top of the G20 on daily vaccinations, where we’ve been for over two weeks.”
The prime minister once again touted the idea of a one-dose summer and two-dose fall, telling Canadians things are set to look up in the months ahead.
“This summer, once cases are low and at least 75 per cent of people have had one dose, and 20 per cent have had a second, you can look forward to outdoor things like a small get-together in a backyard, going hiking, or sharing a meal on a patio,” he said. “This fall, once three quarters of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated, we’ll be able to do more of the indoor things we miss.”
In the meantime, Canadians are being reminded to follow public health guidelines and to continue doing their part to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Trudeau also announced the federal government is investing almost $200 million in Resilience Biotechnologies in Ontario to help with domestic production of vaccines in the years to come.
