The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a standstill, with governments and organizations working tirelessly to develop a vaccine to combat the virus. The Government of Canada has been actively engaged in securing vaccine agreements with various pharmaceutical companies and organizations.
The Canadian government recognizes the critical importance of securing vaccine agreements to protect the health and well-being of its citizens. Through these agreements, the government has committed to providing Canadians with safe and effective vaccines as soon as possible.
One of the first agreements reached was with Pfizer and BioNTech for the supply of their mRNA vaccine. This agreement, signed in August 2020, secured a guaranteed minimum of 20 million doses of the vaccine with options to purchase up to 56 million additional doses. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized for use in Canada in December 2020, making Canada one of the first countries to administer the vaccine.
Another critical vaccine agreement was signed with Moderna, which secured up to 56 million doses of their mRNA vaccine. This agreement was signed in December 2020, shortly after the Pfizer-BioNTech agreement, and the Moderna vaccine was authorized for use in Canada in December 2020 as well.
In addition to these agreements, the Canadian government has secured access to vaccines through the COVAX initiative, a global effort to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Through COVAX, Canada will receive up to 1.9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and up to 1.9 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The Canadian government has also signed agreements with Novavax, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, and AstraZeneca for the supply of their respective vaccines.
Securing vaccine agreements is a critical step in the fight against COVID-19. The Government of Canada has recognized this and has been proactive in securing agreements with various vaccine providers to ensure that Canadians are protected against the virus as soon as possible. The Canadian government continues to work with vaccine providers to secure additional agreements to protect the health and safety of Canadian citizens.