Canada’s provinces are expected to increase COVID-19 vaccinations this week as manufacturer Pfizer-BioNTech begins boosting deliveries after a month-long slowdown.
The federal government in Ottawa says, beginning this week, it expects to receive weekly shipments of more than 400,000 doses of the Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) vaccine until at least April 4. That number represents a significant jump in vaccine shipments to Canada, which has received a total of about 928,200 Pfizer doses since December.
Both Quebec and Ontario have said they plan to expand their vaccination programs in response to the increase in deliveries, with Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube Tweeting that the province expects more than 90,000 Pfizer vaccines this week.
Several health experts say that while the plan provinces plans look good on paper, it remains to be seen whether they will carry them out smoothly, especially when it comes to the more complex operation of vaccinating the general population.
To date, Canada has vaccinated less than 1% of its population. In the U.S., 16% of the general population has now been vaccinated against COVID-19 and in the United Kingdom, nearly 20% of the population has received a vaccine.
