Today, Health Canada announced they have authorized the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca for distribution in Canada. The authorized vaccine includes the AstraZeneca vaccine developed in partnership with Oxford University, as well as the Serum Institute of India’s version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, CoviShield.
Our government secured 2 million doses of the CoviShield vaccine, and half a million of those doses will arrive in the coming weeks. We have also secured 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and those will start arriving in the spring. By the end of June, 1.9 million AstraZeneca doses will also be delivered through COVAX.
We are well on track to deliver a vaccine to every Canadian who wants one by the end of September, and any further vaccine approvals will only help us reach all Canadians sooner. With more vaccines on the way, and health guidelines being followed, the end is in sight.
