Canada reaches major vaccine campaign milestone
@ Sadia Haque Lucky
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada made a commitment to protect the health and safety of all Canadians. That is why the government has worked hard to ensure that everyone across the country could access vaccines as soon as they were proven to be safe and effective. The government will continue to do everything that is necessary so that every eligible person in Canada who wants a vaccine can get one – because no one is safe until everyone is safe.
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that with its most recent shipment, Canada has now received more than 66 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines – enough to fully vaccinate every eligible person in Canada – two months ahead of the original goal of September.
This milestone in the largest immunization campaign in Canada’s history is the result of a proactive procurement approach, focused on building a diverse vaccine portfolio. As vaccines were authorized by Health Canada, the government remained engaged with vaccine suppliers to speed up delivery schedules and get as many doses into the country as quickly as possible. Canada continues to be a world leader in vaccination rates, with over 80 per cent of eligible people in the country vaccinated with their first dose and approximately 64 per cent fully vaccinated.
Delivering safe and effective vaccines for Canadians has been – and continues to be – a true Team Canada effort, from the cross-country collaboration on the rollout to the dedication of front-line health care workers. Today’s announcement would also not have been possible without the Public Health Agency of Canada in partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces in deploying vaccines across the country.
As we continue our fight against COVID-19, the Government of Canada will keep working with our partners to ensure fair, equitable, and timely access to COVID-19 vaccines, and a recovery that benefits everyone. We have the supply, so we now need all eligible Canadians to do their part and get both doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. Only together, can we build a safer and healthier Canada – and finish the fight against this virus.
