The deal, announced Tuesday by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is the first of several that is being developed, as Canada says it intends to repatriate vaccine production over the next few decades.
“What we are very clear about is that Canada will develop domestic manufacturing, so regardless of what may happen in the future, we will have domestic production in addition to all of our partnerships and contracts signed with companies around the world,” he said. Trudeau during a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday.
He added that it was important for Canada to be “self-sufficient” in vaccine production.
Novavax continues to conduct clinical trials of its vaccine, but sent more data to Health Canada for review Friday. Canada has an agreement to buy 52 million doses from Novavax when and if its vaccine candidate receives Canadian approval.
Approval is not expected for weeks and domestic vaccine production will not take place until the fall, at the earliest.
This still leaves Canada with a significant shortage of vaccines in the short term. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are the only vaccines approved so far for use in Canada.
Both vaccine suppliers have significantly slowed deliveries to Canada following a combination of manufacturing delays and demands from Europe, where Canada procures its doses, to restrict vaccine exports subject to EU approval.
Canada did not attempt to purchase a dose of vaccine in the U.S. after the Trump administration indicated it would not allow any vaccine to be exported.
According to provincial and federal government public health data, just over 2% of the Canadian population has received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
The provinces of Canada, responsible for distributing vaccines, are frustrated as mass vaccination sites are ready, but in many cases are “empty” waiting for vaccine doses.
“They have a capacity of several thousand every day and the possibility of overcoming it, so we are all a little disappointed, a little frustrated and stumbled to do more things and get the vaccines,” the retiree said. General Rick Hillier, who now leads the Ontario Vaccine Working Group.
He added that he has lost confidence in the Pfizer supply chain as the doses promised in Canada were not delivered.