VANCOUVER -- The first COVID-19 vaccines are expected to arrive in B.C. next week, according to the provincial health officer. The announcement follows news that Canada will see its first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines this month, pending Health Canada approval.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that Canada will receive an initial batch of up to 249,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, which has now been approved in the United Kingdom.
“The first shipment of doses is tracking for delivery next week,” Trudeau said. “Shipments will continue to arrive into 2021, with millions of doses on the way.”
The December delivery is just part of the up to 76 million doses Canada has secured from the drug company.
B.C.’s Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she had a good idea of the number of doses headed to B.C., although she did not have an exact number on Monday.
“That light at the end of the tunnel is there,” she said. “And we need to do our piece to keep our rates low so that we prevent people from dying until we have this protection for them.”
Preparations are also underway at 14 sites across the country which will be receiving the vaccines. The four largest provinces will each host two sites.
B.C.’s health ministry told CTV News Dr. Ross Brown with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has been appointed to oversee COVID-19 vaccine operations in B.C., and is working with the provincial health officer "to ensure B.C. has the logistics and operational support in place to deploy a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible." The ministry added that a public update will be provided soon.
The Pfizer vaccine requires extremely cold storage at minus 70 Celcius. The federal government said a transport dry-run was to be carried out, involving a shipping container and dry ice.
UBC adjunct professor in the division of infectious diseases Horacio Bach, said transportation will be an issue due to the level of cold storage required.
“The first way is to use a freezer... either your truck or your airplane has the ability to transport products under that deep cold temperature, or dry ice,” Bach said.
However, Bach added dry ice is considered an explosive because it is produced by CO2, so adequate ventilation is required, meaning airplanes can only carry a limited amount.
“Once it’s thawed, the vaccine can be refrigerated for up to one week,” Bach said, and added while major urban centres like Vancouver may have the infrastructure to properly store the shots, it could be a challenge for more rural areas.
Dr. Henry said there are ‘limited places’ with the equipment and ability for such ultra-cold storage.
“So we will be receiving small amounts to start with, across the country, and we will be focusing on those most at risk,” she said, adding that will include health care workers both in long term care homes and hospitals. “We are not going to have enough in the first few months that’s going to make a difference in community transmissions. So that’s why we all have to be continuing to follow our COVID safety plans.”
The vaccine itself requires two doses, with the second one being administered 21 days after the first.
“That is the protocol they follow, that gave basically an effectivity of 95 per cent, is what was claimed by the company,” Bach said. He added that the second dose is like a booster for the immune system, which will start producing some antibodies after the first shot.
However, Bach said it is still unknown how long the vaccine will be protective for.
“We cannot say anything about that, because the only track or monitoring of this vaccine has been for two, three months,” he said. “We know that people that already recover from the disease... the level of protecting antibodies is fading and disappearing in around six months. That is in general.”
The federal government said it has purchased 126 freezers to store COVID-19 vaccines, including 26 that will store ultra-low temperature vaccines like Pfizer’s. To date, nine of the ultra-low temperature freezers have been delivered.
COVID-19 vaccines will be free in Canada, not mandatory, and eventually available to anyone who wants one.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is recommending the first to receive vaccines should be residents and staff at long-term care and assisted living facilities, people aged 80 and older, health care and personal support workers at high risk, and Indigenous communities.
