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Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be offered in Canada soon: Tam

OTTAWA —
Eight months after the vaccine was first licensed by Well being Canada, usable doses of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine are set to reach “imminently,” in accordance with Chief Public Well being Officer Dr. Theresa Tam.

“We’re accessing some doses from Europe, which have been procured. They’ve been verified by Well being Canada to fulfill security, high quality, and efficacy requirements,” Tam informed reporters on Friday.

“I anticipate that these doses will arrive within the coming days, and with distribution occurring shortly thereafter… we must always anticipate to see a few of these doses imminently.”

This comes after the federal authorities final month gauged curiosity amongst provinces and territories for shipments of the vaccine, prompted by Alberta, Saskatchewan, and B.C. making requests for the viral vector shot.

The Janssen vaccine was licensed to be used in adults 18 years of age and older by Well being Canada in March 2021, however Canada has not but had any usable doses in-country regardless of having procurement offers that secured entry to not less than 10 million.

It was the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to be given the regulatory inexperienced mild on this nation, considered one of two viral vector vaccines alongside AstraZeneca, and the one single-shot choice.

The primary cargo of greater than 300,000 doses that landed was held and by no means distributed after Well being Canada realized {that a} drug substance used within the vaccine was produced on the Emergent BioSolutions’ Baltimore, Md. Facility, the place high quality management points had been raised by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration, leading to thousands and thousands of spoiled J&J doses.

Within the months that adopted, enough doses of the opposite three COVID-19 vaccines had been delivered, leading to Canada having sufficient doses in July to totally vaccinate your complete eligible inhabitants.

Final month, then-health minister Patty Hajdu stated that work was underway to obtain usable doses from trusted producers.

Tam stated Friday that the J&J doses will probably be coming from Europe, because the U.S. plant’s manufacturing concern “continues to be examined.”

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has urged that the one-shot viral vector vaccine could assist assuage issues of those that are hesitant concerning the mRNA vaccines Pfizer and Moderna.

“Alberta and Saskatchewan are dedicated to working collectively to safe a provide of Janssen vaccine. The intent is present it to major well being care websites or these places the place the only dose vaccine choice would result in an elevated COVID-19 vaccination uptake,” stated the Saskatchewan Well being Ministry in a earlier assertion to CTV Information.

Equally, the B.C. Ministry of Well being has stated the province requested the viral vector vaccine “a number of instances.”

“We’ve got requested in writing 50,000 doses… Having quite a lot of vaccination choices is essential to make sure we will present vaccines to as many individuals as attainable and cut back the transmission of the virus,” learn their assertion.

It stays to be seen whether or not Well being Canada or the Nationwide Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) will probably be issuing new steering round this vaccine, with NACI beforehand stating that it ought to solely be supplied to Canadians aged 30 and older, and that the mRNA vaccines are most well-liked given stronger efficacy.

The U.S. FDA has just lately endorsed second shot boosters of the J&J vaccine citing issues that those that have obtained it wouldn’t have the identical diploma of safety as those that have obtained a two-dose vaccine collection.

Canada’s federal vaccine mandates at the moment think about anybody who has obtained an entire collection of a Well being Canada-authorized vaccine to be absolutely vaccinated.

With recordsdata from CTV Information’ Sarah Turnbull

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