Canada is now a global frontrunner for first COVID-19 vaccine doses

With more and more Canadians getting vaccinated against COVID-19 each day, the country has become a global frontrunner in first administered doses.

According to COVID-19 Tracker Canada – a website that tracks immunization rates across the country – just over 59% of the population has had their first dose as of June 3.

Health Canada updates its vaccine coverage page on Fridays, with data up to and including the previous Saturday.

Canada is closely trailing the United Kingdom, which has administered first doses to 59.3% of the population. In the United States, 50.8% of people have had one shot.

With 60.2% of the country partially immunized, Israel is leading the vaccination charge amongst nations with over one million people.

However, 39% of Britons and 41% of Americans are fully vaccinated, while just 5.9% of Canadians are. In Israel, 56% of people have received two doses.

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Worldwide, the global COVID-19 vaccine leader is Gibraltar, a British territory on the southern coast of Spain.

The country has administered 39,098 first doses and 38,619 second doses to date – enough to fully immunize its 33,701 residents, and a few thousand non-resident workers, too.

Canada is aiming to have 75% of eligible residents partially vaccinated – and 20% fully immunized – by this summer. At that point, some public health measures can be lifted.

By the fall, the government hopes to have 75% of the population fully vaccinated. Once that benchmark is reached, officials have said that indoor sports and gatherings can resume.

To date, Canada has seen 1,385,278 COVID-19 cases and 25,612 virus-related deaths.