Trudeau confirms US sending AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that the United States would be sending millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to Canada.
At a press conference on Friday, Trudeau said an agreement with the Biden administration to deliver 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine was being finalized “as we speak.”
“Vaccines are the path out of this pandemic,” Trudeau said. “That’s why securing doses and getting them to the front lines is my number one priority.”
“I want to thank President Biden for his collaboration. Canada and the US are each other’s closest friends and most important allies.”
- See also:
Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand confirmed that the doses would arrive in Canada by the end of March.
The doses will have a minimum shelf life of 60 days from the time they arrive, she said.
With the addition of the 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccines from the US, Canada is set to receive nearly five million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the next two weeks.
Anand confirmed that the country is on track to see 36.5 million vaccine doses by the end of June, and 118 million doses from the end of September.
As well, by the end of this week, Canada will have received 13 million low-dead volume syringes, which Anand said are “key” to ensuring the most efficient extraction of doses from each vaccine vial.
“No one can promise that there will be no further disruptions to global supply chains,” Anand said.
“But we do know that Canada’s diverse portfolio of vaccines means that we are well-positioned to weather future disruptions, and to ensure that vaccines continue to arrive in Canada by the millions.”