Canada signs deal to make COVID-19 vaccine in Montreal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a deal with Novavax to produce doses of its new COVID-19 vaccine at a new facility in Montreal.

On Tuesday, Trudeau said the federal government has signed a memorandum with Novavax to have “tens of millions” of doses after it is approved by Health Canada.

Once approved, the company will be able to make 2 million doses per month.

The vaccine will be made in the new National Research Council biomanufacturing facility in Montreal. The production facility will be finished by the end of summer.

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Another company, Precision NanoSystems is also making a Canadian COVID-19 vaccine, which began human clinical trials last week, with a possible vaccine ready by the end of the year.

“We are on track to get everyone who wants a vaccine, vaccinated by September,” Trudeau said.

“We are invested in manufacturing at home with Precision and Novavax to manufacture vaccines in Canada, a major step forward.”

Currently, Canada is reliant on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which are made abroad. Recently, there have been major delays with the Pfizer vaccine, and disruptions to Moderna’s supply are also taking place.

Trudeau also noted that the federal government has allocated $14 million to the development of a COVID-19 treatment in Markham, Ontario for those who are seriously infected with the virus.