Residents of Canadian nursing homes challenge delay of second COVID-19 vaccine

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Residents of a Canadian long-term care home who received some of the country’s first COVID-19 vaccines have threatened to seek a court injunction if they do not get the second vaccine recommended in the coming days.

Residents of the Maimonides Geriatric Center in Montreal said they received a first injection of the Pfizer Inc vaccine on December 14 and expect to receive a second dose on January 3, but are still waiting, according to a statement on Wednesday.

“Our clients have agreed to be vaccinated on condition that they receive the two doses of Pfizer,” lawyer Julius Gray said in a letter sent to the Quebec government on Tuesday.

If the second doses are not given within three days, the letter says he will seek a court injunction to force health officials to issue it. Gray was hired by a family advocacy group that includes 39 of the more than 300 residents of Maimonide.

A spokesperson for Quebec’s health minister, Christian Dubé, declined to comment. Maimonides had no immediate comment.

The case highlights the challenges Canada faces in implementing vaccines. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday the entire country was frustrated with how slowly provinces are vaccinating people and vowed that Ottawa will help speed up the pace of vaccinations.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE say the vaccine requires two doses, the second three weeks after the first.

SECOND WAVE

Faced with a second virulent wave, the majority French-speaking province of Quebec decided at the end of December to administer all the doses available to it instead of putting aside the second injections.

Ottawa has purchased nearly half a million doses of vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna Inc and expects 1.2 million more by the end of January. The 10 provinces are responsible for administering them.

The majority of COVID-19 deaths in Canada have been in nursing homes for the aged, and more than 60 residents of Maimonides have died.

The western province of British Columbia has also said it will administer all available doses and delay the second injection. Faced with a more contagious variant, Great Britain does the same.

British Columbia said Pfizer’s second shot could come up to 35 days after the first. Quebec has not said how long this gap could last.

Canada’s Chief Health Officer Theresa Tam said on Tuesday it was important for everyone to receive the second vaccine, but admitted that some flexibility might be needed.

“It comes down to vaccine management and adjustments in the face of limited supplies,” Tam said.

Later Wednesday, Quebec is expected to announce more health restrictions, the closure of non-essential activities in the manufacturing and construction sectors and the imposition of a curfew, CBC reported.

Quebec reported 2,641 new cases of coronavirus and 47 deaths on Wednesday. So far, Quebec has reported 215,358 cases in total, or about a third of the national total.