Pfizer failing Ontarians: Ford
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Ontario is urging Health Canada to approve more COVID-19 vaccines as the Pfizer supply continues to lag demand.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said the AstraZeneca vaccine could help make up the shortage.
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“We were expecting to receive four million doses (of the Pfizer vaccine) to Canada by the end of February, first part of March,” Elliott said Thursday. “We’ve now been told that that’s more like about 3.5 million. So we’re short about half a million doses.”
Ontario is adjusting its vaccine rollout program on the fly as the expected amount of vaccine fails to materialize.
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Premier Doug Ford expressed disappointment in news out of Ottawa Thursday of more delays.
“Our share of the numbers over the next couple of weeks is roughly about 33,000 vaccines,” Ford said. “We’re going to be down, I think it’s another 13%.”
Ontario has tightened up its vaccination program, focusing on elderly residents in long-term-care (LTC), high-risk retirement residences and First Nations homes for the elderly.
Public health officials are also holding back supply to provide the needed second dose to health care workers and others who have already had their first shot.
The vaccination of other Ontarians remains on hold until more supply is secured.
“I know the federal government is trying and they’re doing everything… We need to explore every avenue possible,” Ford said. “Pfizer has let us down tremendously… They have an obligation to meet the contract. And again, they’ve let the people of Ontario down, let the people of Canada down.”
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In the meantime, Ontario is focused on getting a sixth dose out of every vial of Pfizer, Elliott said, explaining health care workers are using one-millilitre needles to access the extra dose.
“The three millilitre needle is much more difficult to do, but it can be done,” she said. “We do have some experts in Ontario who are able to do that. So even if we run short of the one-millilitre needles, we can still use the three millilitre needles.”
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