Between Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccines, the Canadian government has committed to procuring up to 100 million doses for 2022 and up to 95 million for 2023. .As of June 22, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), 89,669,908 doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed across the country. As of June 22, 85,785,964 doses have been administered across the country. . Cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered .Canada has secured a guaranteed 20 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines for 2022 with the option for an additional 15 million more, according to the government's website. The same agreement has been secured with Moderna for 2023 and an optional amount of 35 million doses will be available for the Canadian government to access in 2024. . Government of Canada vaccine agreements with suppliers .As for the Pfizer-BioNTech-made COVID-19 vaccine, the federal government has secured access to a guaranteed 35 million doses for 2022 with an option of up to 30 million more. Another 30 million doses have been secured for 2023 with the option of up to an additional 30 million more for 2023. In 2024, Canada has the option to acquire up to another 60 million doses. .According to US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines expire nine months after the manufacture date. The CDC advises to determine Moderna's expiration date by reviewing the information generated by scanning a QR code on the vial or carton the vaccine was contained in. .According to other reports, Pfizer and Modern vaccines can only last up to six months frozen. .In Canada, COVID-19 vaccines had the highest uptake reported through the spring and summer of 2021. Another spike in uptake, although smaller, was recorded through December 2021 and into February 2022, however, the demand has dropped off significantly. . Number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Canada every two weeks .Michèle LaRose, with Public Service and Procurement Canada (PSPC), said the agency led negotiations and finalized agreements with all COVID-19 manufacturers. .LaRose said Health Canada, based on "modelling from 2020 onward" and the "fluid situation with the pandemic and the evolution of the COVID-19 virus," PHAC determined the quantity of vaccines needed for Canadians. ."In order to guarantee access to that quantity, an 'up-to' amount of vaccine doses was negotiated with certain suppliers," said LaRose.."This allows for flexibility to provide access to higher or lower quantities as required, based on the evolution of needs. However, the Government of Canada only provides payment for the doses ordered, and does not provide payment for un-exercised options.".LaRose did not disclose the amount of doses Canada is obligated to pay for with each supplier, nor for any future contractual yearly commitments. .Senior media relations advisor with the PHAC, Tammy Jarbeau, told the Western Standard the Canadian government has "taken action to ensure that Canadians have timely access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines" since the beginning of the pandemic. ."When the pandemic started, it was not known which vaccines would be successful or when they would be available," said Jarbeau.."Experts therefore advised Canada to secure many different types of vaccines.".Jarbeau said Canada set up advance purchase agreements (APAs) with Moderna, Novavax, Medicago, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca. ."APAs have the obligations of a contract, but are more flexible in structure," she said. ."This flexibility was needed given the uncertainties around when new vaccines would be developed. Having APAs meant that we could purchase vaccines that didn't yet exist.".According to LaRose, original agreements with vaccine suppliers "also required initial investments to support vaccine research, development and testing" and indicated that some of the procurement contracts are "firm" while others are "flexible" but did not provide any other details. .Canada, according to Jarbeau, was "among the first countries to start vaccinating" and has "one of the highest coverage rates in the world." ."To date, Canada has also secured vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax, and Medicago for 2022 and 2023, with options to extend into 2024," said Jarbeau, adding the agreements allow for the flexibility to obtain new second-generation vaccines once authorized by Health Canada. .Jarbeau said Canada's vaccine supply is handled "strategically" and managed by the federal government through a central inventory that allocates doses to the provinces and territories as requested for "newly eligible populations and for additional doses," including booster shots. The management of vaccine supply by the federal government also identifies surplus doses that can be donated internationally. .According to Jabeau, the Government of Canada maximize the use of Canada’s vaccine supply by:.coordinating transfers of doses between provinces and territories to move vaccines to where they are needed mostworking with manufacturers to schedule deliveries for when and where they are needed the mostmonitoring for the possibility of shelf life extensionsoffering vaccine in surplus to our domestic needs for global donations, with as much shelf life as possible.The efforts ensure Canadians can "stay up-to-date on their vaccines, including boosters" and ensures the country will have "sufficient supply to mobilize a large-scale vaccination campaign if needed," said Jabeau.."Despite all of these efforts, there will be wastage if doses expire before they’re used or donated," she said..She also indicated provinces and territories are each responsible for the "management of wastage within their vaccine supply" including the proper disposal of expired vaccines. .Lisa Glover, assistant director with Alberta Health told the Western Standard the province continues to "actively manage our inventory." ."Alberta has seen about 0.23% [about 27,000] of total doses of vaccine expire on the shelf, to date," she said, adding the province has "policies in place to minimize wastage." .The Western Standard also inquired with PSPC as to how much each dose is costing taxpayers, but was denied the information. ."In order to protect our negotiating position and commercially sensitive pricing information, as well as to respect confidentiality clauses in our vaccine agreements, we cannot disclose details of specific agreements, including financial details at this time," said LaRose. ."Throughout our response to the pandemic, the Government has remained committed to being as open and transparent as possible while ensuring that our priority is squarely focused on effectively and efficiently securing equipment and supplies needed to protect Canadians."."Transparency and accountability is critically important to the government, and we are committed to releasing a full account of our procurement efforts. However, in order to respect confidentiality clauses in our vaccine agreements and to protect commercially sensitive information, we cannot disclose cost per dose."."In line with our commitment to transparency, we will continue to release as much information as possible on all the measures being taken to respond to COVID-19.".Although it's unknown what the Canadian government has paid per dose for the various COVID-19 vaccines, unredacted documents obtained from the New Zealand government in early March revealed Pfizer was paid $36.50 per dose, or CDN$31..Based on the price per dose reported in New Zealand, Canada's commitment to procure 100 million vaccines would cost taxpayers more than $3.1 billion in 2022 and another $2.9 billion for 2023. .According to a recent report from the National Post, documents tabled in the House of Commons last week revealed the federal government disposed of approximately 1.2 million doses of expired Moderna vaccines and donated some 13.6 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to foreign countries, costing taxpayers more than $100 million..Based on a report from the Financial Times, doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine cost between $3 and $4 each. However, in June, CBC reported Canada paid $163 million for 20 million doses, indicating the government actually paid roughly $8.18 per dose. .In BC, provincial health officer Dr. Bonny Henry told Global News that, despite the fact hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 doses are set to expire in the coming months, the province has no plans to make major changes to its vaccination policy..Nearly 227,000 doses of Moderna's Spikevax are set to expire between July 21 and 24, 40,000 doses of Pfizer's pediatric vaccines are set to expire before the end of September and another 430,000 Pfizer Comirnaty doses will expire before the end of November.
Between Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccines, the Canadian government has committed to procuring up to 100 million doses for 2022 and up to 95 million for 2023. .As of June 22, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), 89,669,908 doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed across the country. As of June 22, 85,785,964 doses have been administered across the country. . Cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered .Canada has secured a guaranteed 20 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines for 2022 with the option for an additional 15 million more, according to the government's website. The same agreement has been secured with Moderna for 2023 and an optional amount of 35 million doses will be available for the Canadian government to access in 2024. . Government of Canada vaccine agreements with suppliers .As for the Pfizer-BioNTech-made COVID-19 vaccine, the federal government has secured access to a guaranteed 35 million doses for 2022 with an option of up to 30 million more. Another 30 million doses have been secured for 2023 with the option of up to an additional 30 million more for 2023. In 2024, Canada has the option to acquire up to another 60 million doses. .According to US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines expire nine months after the manufacture date. The CDC advises to determine Moderna's expiration date by reviewing the information generated by scanning a QR code on the vial or carton the vaccine was contained in. .According to other reports, Pfizer and Modern vaccines can only last up to six months frozen. .In Canada, COVID-19 vaccines had the highest uptake reported through the spring and summer of 2021. Another spike in uptake, although smaller, was recorded through December 2021 and into February 2022, however, the demand has dropped off significantly. . Number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Canada every two weeks .Michèle LaRose, with Public Service and Procurement Canada (PSPC), said the agency led negotiations and finalized agreements with all COVID-19 manufacturers. .LaRose said Health Canada, based on "modelling from 2020 onward" and the "fluid situation with the pandemic and the evolution of the COVID-19 virus," PHAC determined the quantity of vaccines needed for Canadians. ."In order to guarantee access to that quantity, an 'up-to' amount of vaccine doses was negotiated with certain suppliers," said LaRose.."This allows for flexibility to provide access to higher or lower quantities as required, based on the evolution of needs. However, the Government of Canada only provides payment for the doses ordered, and does not provide payment for un-exercised options.".LaRose did not disclose the amount of doses Canada is obligated to pay for with each supplier, nor for any future contractual yearly commitments. .Senior media relations advisor with the PHAC, Tammy Jarbeau, told the Western Standard the Canadian government has "taken action to ensure that Canadians have timely access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines" since the beginning of the pandemic. ."When the pandemic started, it was not known which vaccines would be successful or when they would be available," said Jarbeau.."Experts therefore advised Canada to secure many different types of vaccines.".Jarbeau said Canada set up advance purchase agreements (APAs) with Moderna, Novavax, Medicago, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca. ."APAs have the obligations of a contract, but are more flexible in structure," she said. ."This flexibility was needed given the uncertainties around when new vaccines would be developed. Having APAs meant that we could purchase vaccines that didn't yet exist.".According to LaRose, original agreements with vaccine suppliers "also required initial investments to support vaccine research, development and testing" and indicated that some of the procurement contracts are "firm" while others are "flexible" but did not provide any other details. .Canada, according to Jarbeau, was "among the first countries to start vaccinating" and has "one of the highest coverage rates in the world." ."To date, Canada has also secured vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax, and Medicago for 2022 and 2023, with options to extend into 2024," said Jarbeau, adding the agreements allow for the flexibility to obtain new second-generation vaccines once authorized by Health Canada. .Jarbeau said Canada's vaccine supply is handled "strategically" and managed by the federal government through a central inventory that allocates doses to the provinces and territories as requested for "newly eligible populations and for additional doses," including booster shots. The management of vaccine supply by the federal government also identifies surplus doses that can be donated internationally. .According to Jabeau, the Government of Canada maximize the use of Canada’s vaccine supply by:.coordinating transfers of doses between provinces and territories to move vaccines to where they are needed mostworking with manufacturers to schedule deliveries for when and where they are needed the mostmonitoring for the possibility of shelf life extensionsoffering vaccine in surplus to our domestic needs for global donations, with as much shelf life as possible.The efforts ensure Canadians can "stay up-to-date on their vaccines, including boosters" and ensures the country will have "sufficient supply to mobilize a large-scale vaccination campaign if needed," said Jabeau.."Despite all of these efforts, there will be wastage if doses expire before they’re used or donated," she said..She also indicated provinces and territories are each responsible for the "management of wastage within their vaccine supply" including the proper disposal of expired vaccines. .Lisa Glover, assistant director with Alberta Health told the Western Standard the province continues to "actively manage our inventory." ."Alberta has seen about 0.23% [about 27,000] of total doses of vaccine expire on the shelf, to date," she said, adding the province has "policies in place to minimize wastage." .The Western Standard also inquired with PSPC as to how much each dose is costing taxpayers, but was denied the information. ."In order to protect our negotiating position and commercially sensitive pricing information, as well as to respect confidentiality clauses in our vaccine agreements, we cannot disclose details of specific agreements, including financial details at this time," said LaRose. ."Throughout our response to the pandemic, the Government has remained committed to being as open and transparent as possible while ensuring that our priority is squarely focused on effectively and efficiently securing equipment and supplies needed to protect Canadians."."Transparency and accountability is critically important to the government, and we are committed to releasing a full account of our procurement efforts. However, in order to respect confidentiality clauses in our vaccine agreements and to protect commercially sensitive information, we cannot disclose cost per dose."."In line with our commitment to transparency, we will continue to release as much information as possible on all the measures being taken to respond to COVID-19.".Although it's unknown what the Canadian government has paid per dose for the various COVID-19 vaccines, unredacted documents obtained from the New Zealand government in early March revealed Pfizer was paid $36.50 per dose, or CDN$31..Based on the price per dose reported in New Zealand, Canada's commitment to procure 100 million vaccines would cost taxpayers more than $3.1 billion in 2022 and another $2.9 billion for 2023. .According to a recent report from the National Post, documents tabled in the House of Commons last week revealed the federal government disposed of approximately 1.2 million doses of expired Moderna vaccines and donated some 13.6 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to foreign countries, costing taxpayers more than $100 million..Based on a report from the Financial Times, doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine cost between $3 and $4 each. However, in June, CBC reported Canada paid $163 million for 20 million doses, indicating the government actually paid roughly $8.18 per dose. .In BC, provincial health officer Dr. Bonny Henry told Global News that, despite the fact hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 doses are set to expire in the coming months, the province has no plans to make major changes to its vaccination policy..Nearly 227,000 doses of Moderna's Spikevax are set to expire between July 21 and 24, 40,000 doses of Pfizer's pediatric vaccines are set to expire before the end of September and another 430,000 Pfizer Comirnaty doses will expire before the end of November.
