Anita Anand, the minister of Public Services and Procurement, tweeted she received her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on April 26.
It happened a day after the Canadian government announced plans to secure the same vaccine doses through 2023 with options extending into 2024.
The government said the agreement guarantees 65 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, and to up to 120 million more if all contract options are exercised.
The deal includes booster vaccine doses and flexibility to procure future COVID-19 vaccine formulations to protect against variants of concern and vaccines developed for children, the government said.
Anand announced details of the contract between Pfizer and the Canadian government for securing the vaccines on April 24 at a Public Services and Procurement press conference.
The awaited shipment of doses are in addition to the 48 million expected doses arriving before the end of September this year, a Public Services and Procurement news release said.
“The Government of Canada is working tirelessly to protect everyone in Canada from COVID-19,” Anand said. “This means getting doses for everyone who wants one before the end of this September and securing doses for 2022 and beyond.”
According to the agreement, Canada will have guaranteed access to 35 million doses with an option of securing up to 30 million more doses for 2022. The doses will be available free to all Canadian residents.
Canadians will have access to 30 million doses in 2022. As well, an additional 30 million vaccines are secured for 2023, the release said.
The government continues to purchase necessary products such as syringes, needles, swabs and gauzes for the administration of these vaccines, the release said.
“Access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines is essential to our pandemic preparedness and response in Canada,” Patty Hadju, Minister of Health of Canada said. She said the deal secures vaccines needed to respond and to adapt to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
FedEx Express Canada and healthcare consultants Innomar Strategies Inc. are already under contract with the federal government to provide warehousing and transportation of these vaccines across the country, the release said.