OTTAWA: Pfizer’s reduction of its COVID-19 vaccine shipments will not delay Canada’s goal of getting most people inoculated by the end of September, the country’s procurement minister said on Friday as the country battled a second surge in infections.
“This is a temporary delay and we remain on track to have enough approved vaccines for everyone who wishes to get vaccinated by the end of September 2021,” Procurement Minister Anita Anand said.
Pfizer said it would slow production in late January and early February due to changes to manufacturing processes aimed at boosting production, but would provide a “significant increase” in doses in late February and March.
Canada’s Major-General Dany Fortin, who is in charge of coordinating the country’s vaccine rollout, told reporters Canada will receive about half the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine over the next four weeks than had been previously expected.
However, Pfizer/BioNTech will “offset” the shortfall and still…