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The deal, announced Tuesday by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is the first of several in the works as Canada announces plans to repatriate vaccine production for decades to come.
“What we are very clear on is that Canada will develop domestic manufacturing, so no matter what may happen in the future, we will have domestic production in addition to all of our partnerships and contracts signed with companies from around the world. world, “Trudeau said at a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday.
He added that it was important for Canada to be “self-sufficient” in vaccine production.
Novavax is still conducting clinical trials on its vaccine, but submitted more data to Health Canada for review on Friday. Canada has reached an agreement to purchase 52 million doses of Novavax when and if its vaccine candidate receives Canadian approval.
Approval is not expected for weeks, and no national vaccine production will take place until the fall, at the earliest.
This still leaves Canada with a significant short-term vaccine shortage. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are the only vaccines approved to date for use in Canada.
These two vaccine suppliers have significantly slowed deliveries to Canada after a combination of manufacturing delays and demands from Europe, where Canada buys its doses, to restrict vaccine exports subject to EU approval.
Canada did not attempt to procure vaccine doses from the United States after the Trump administration said it would not allow the export of any vaccine.
According to public health data from the provinces and the federal government, just over 2% of the Canadian population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
The provinces of Canada, which are responsible for vaccine distribution, are increasingly frustrated as mass vaccination sites are ready, but in many cases remain “empty” while awaiting vaccine doses.
“They have the capacity of several thousand each a day and the ability to go beyond that, so we’re all a little bit disappointed, a little bit frustrated, and trying to do more and get us the vaccines,” said a retiree. General Rick Hillier, who now heads the Ontario Vaccine Task Force.
He added that he had lost confidence in Pfizer’s supply chain as doses promised to Canada were not delivered.
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