Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Canada donates equivalent of over 100M doses to COVAX, inching closer to 2022 target

Share

Canada has donated the equivalent of more than 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to COVAX, the vaccine sharing alliance, through both surplus doses and financial contributions.

According to Global Affairs Canada, to date 50.7 million doses deemed surplus from Canada’s procurement of AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been donated to the alliance. Of that amount, more than 14 million have actually been delivered.

Canada’s financial contributions have amounted to the equivalent of 87 million more doses. The government has made a commitment to share 200 million doses through both means by the end of 2022.

is a global initiative aimed at accelerating the development and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines and their equitable distribution. It’s led by GAVI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organization.

On April 8, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an additional $220 million to the COVAX facility, on top of the up to $800 million previously committed.

Canada and other wealthier nations had been criticized for hoarding vaccines amid the pandemic as lower-income countries struggle to vaccinate their population with even one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

During an appearance on Monday before the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, representatives from GAVI and UNICEF said while direct dose contributions are still valuable, cash donations are proving more relevant to help with infrastructure needs for rural rollout.

“COVAX’s greatest challenge is no longer supply, it is coverage. The reality is many countries are struggling with their rollouts to turn vaccines into vaccinations,†Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI, told members of Parliament.

He said the focus now should be directed at supporting countries to scale up their delivery systems and increase absorptive capacity and demand.

Lily Caprani, UNICEF’s head of advocacy and global lead for global health, vaccines and pandemic response, echoed a similar sentiment.

“It’s no good just delivering vaccines – the product themselves they need to get from the tarmac and into arms. And in order to do that we need sustained efforts to invest in health system capabilities in the lowest income countries in the world,†she said.

Both noted that the TRIPS waiver – a proposal to waive intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics until the pandemic is over – is only part of the solution to equitable access to vaccines and it’s “questionable, whether by itself, it would have the same impact.â€

Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi told reporters on Tuesday that the government has reached out to COVAX directly to offer vaccines but have been told they “don’t need them.â€

“I know Minister Sajjan is actually working with countries directly to determine if there is interest. So those vaccines are available, they are there and we are doing the best that we can to offer those up,†she said.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected