Majority of Canadians to be vaccinated by end of June in best-case projections

Federal health officials are providing an update on vaccinations in Canada, and the government is expecting a big ramp up in the months ahead.

The updated forecast from Ottawa estimates by the end of June the country could see over half of its residents inoculated in a best case scenario.

While the Trudeau government expects to get their full deliveries by the end of March, their focus is now turning to the second quarter where there where will be an increase in deliveries.

Major General Dany Fortin says the country is expecting 23 million doses from Pfizer and Moderna between April and June.

That is just for the two approved vaccines, the best-case forecasts consider vaccine deliveries from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax, all pending approval from Health Canada.

Federal Health officials providing an update on COVID vaccines.
Here is the update for estimated vaccine deliveries to Canada from now until the end of September #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/rTie6iZeEl

— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) February 18, 2021

Health Canada said this week that it is not ready to make a decision on the AstraZeneca vaccine, more than two weeks after it signaled the ruling could be imminent.

The World Health Organization gave its seal of approval to AstraZeneca Monday, and if Canada follows suit, almost 500,000 doses could be shipped to Canada in March through the global vaccine-sharing program known as COVAX.

The national advisory board on vaccines has also updated its priority populations for the next stage of vaccinations. The board suggest provinces give priority to people in congregate living spaces, and adults living in indigenous communities.

So far in Canada 1.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine has been delivered to the provinces with more than 1.3 million shots being administered.