Canada has decided to provide nearly 18 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to the global distribution facility Covax.
The decision is partly aimed at fulfilling the shortfall caused by the inability of Indian Covid manufacturers to meet that supply due to domestic demand during this summer’s devastating second wave of the pandemic.
The Canadian decision to provide AZ vaccines to Covax has, however, been criticised in political circles at home as safety concerns have led to the jab’s use being curtailed in the country.
Procured by Canada with an advance purchase agreement, 17.7 million AZ doses will be sent directly to the Covax global Covid vaccine distribution facility. Karina Gould, international development minister, and Anita Anand, public services and procurement minister, made the announcement on Monday.
The vaccine doses will be “managed by the newly-funded Covax mechanism,” according to a statement issued by Global Affairs Canada.
Anand said, “With nearly 55 million doses in Canada and millions more arriving weekly, we continue to ensure that the needs of Canadians for Covid-19 vaccines are met. In addition, as we are now able to donate excess vaccines, the contribution to Covax of close to 18 million doses will help to meet international needs and end this pandemic.”
Gould told CBC News that shipments will start in a few weeks’ time and indicated that it was an attempt to replace the shortfall caused by Indian manufacturers being unable to meet external demand.
She said, “One of the reasons Covax has been struggling is because AstraZeneca is one of the vaccines being manufactured in India and is being used widely within India right now.”
The decision to donate AZ doses came in for criticism, as opposition MP Garnett Genius said the Canadian government shouldn’t be exporting vaccines that “it does not recommend for Canadians”, according to CBC News.
Canadian health authorities have consistently weaned people away from the AZ vaccine and have called mRNA vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna as the “preferred” shots.
Health Canada, however, has continued to underscore that AZ is a safe vaccine and Gould countered criticism by pointing out that it was “still a vaccine of choice”, a “good vaccine” and “one that is in high demand around the world”.
