OTTAWA (AFP) – The two Canadian provinces hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Ontario and Quebec, will make Covid vaccines available to all adults starting in May, officials said Thursday (April 29).<\/p>\n
The health ministers for the provinces, which account for almost two-thirds of the country’s population, said age eligibility for jabs would be lowered incrementally.<\/p>\n
In Quebec that means eligibility for those 18 years and older by mid-May, with Ontario following a week later.<\/p>\n
A ramp up of shipments to the provinces would allow authorities to “accelerate our vaccine rollout and get more shots into arms,” Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said.<\/p>\n
“This is exciting news,” she added, echoing comments at a separate news conference by Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube who announced that the province “will be able to give a first dose to all adult Quebecers who want it by June 24.”<\/p>\n
Canada has signed deals with seven pharmaceutical firms for some 400 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, and approved four for use so far – the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs.<\/p>\n
The country’s vaccine rollout, which has been plagued by delays, will soon get a boost from increased Pfizer and Moderna shipments.<\/p>\n
To date, more than 13 million doses of vaccines have been administered in Canada, according to federal public health authorities.<\/p>\n
Some 1.2 million Covid infections have been reported, including more than 24,000 deaths. Two-thirds of both cases and deaths were in Ontario and Quebec.<\/p>\n
Ontario in particular has been struggling with a new wave of infections led by variants, prompting Ottawa to dispatch soldiers this week to hospitals to help care for a record number of critical Covid patients.<\/p>\n
Canada’s deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo also announced on Thursday a seventh case of blood clots associated with low platelets linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. One of the seven has died.<\/p>\n