A nurse prepares to give the first COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed in Edmonton on Dec. 15, 2020.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
Alberta is offering financial support to pharmaceutical companies to build vaccine manufacturing facilities in the province following its complaints about the federal government’s handling of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
The government is seeking proposals for vaccine development and manufacturing, though its announcement on Monday included few details about what specifically the government is looking for, or what type or amount of financial support it plans to offer. Premier Jason Kenney has repeatedly criticized the federal government for delays in vaccine deliveries and said the provinces would look for its own suppliers.
At least two Alberta companies are working on COVID-19 vaccines, though the federal government has not signed purchase agreements with either of them, and neither are expected to be available before Ottawa’s target to give vaccines to everyone who wants one by the fall.
Tracking Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout plans: A continuing guide
Canada vaccine tracker: How many COVID-19 doses have been administered so far?
Canada pre-purchased millions of doses of seven different vaccine types, and Health Canada has approved four so far for the various provincial and territorial rollouts. All the drugs are fully effective in preventing serious illness and death, though some may do more than others to stop any symptomatic illness at all (which is where the efficacy rates cited below come in).
- Also known as: Comirnaty
- Approved on: Dec. 9, 2020
- Efficacy rate: 95 per cent with both doses in patients 16 and older, and 100 per cent in 12- to 15-year-olds
- Traits: Must be stored at -70 C, requiring specialized ultracold freezers. It is a new type of mRNA-based vaccine that gives the body a sample of the virus’s DNA to teach immune systems how to fight it. Health Canada has authorized it for use in people as young as 12.
- Also known as: SpikeVax
- Approved on: Dec. 23, 2020
- Efficacy rate: 94 per cent with both doses in patients 18 and older, and 100 per cent in 12- to 17-year-olds
- Traits: Like Pfizer’s vaccine, this one is mRNA-based, but it can be stored at -20 C. It’s approved for use in Canada for ages 12 and up.
- Also known as: Vaxzevria
- Approved on: Feb. 26, 2021
- Efficacy rate: 62 per cent two weeks after the second dose
- Traits: This comes in two versions approved for Canadian use, the kind made in Europe and the same drug made by a different process in India (where it is called Covishield). The National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s latest guidance is that its okay for people 30 and older to get it if they can’t or don’t want to wait for an mRNA vaccine, but to guard against the risk of a rare blood-clotting disorder, all provinces have stopped giving first doses of AstraZeneca.
- Also known as: Janssen
- Approved on: March 5, 2021
- Efficacy rate: 66 per cent two weeks after the single dose
- Traits: Unlike the other vaccines, this one comes in a single injection. NACI says it should be offered to Canadians 30 and older, but Health Canada paused distribution of the drug for now as it investigates inspection concerns at a Maryland facility where the active ingredient was made.
How many vaccine doses do I get?
All vaccines except Johnson & Johnson’s require two doses, though even for double-dose drugs, research suggests the first shots may give fairly strong protection. This has led health agencies to focus on getting first shots to as many people as possible, then delaying boosters by up to four months. To see how many doses your province or territory has administered so far, check our vaccine tracker for the latest numbers.
Doug Schweitzer, the province’s Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation, said it’s important to build domestic manufacturing capacity even if that doesn’t happen before the current mass vaccination campaign is finished. He also said it’s possible that more-contagious variants of the virus will require new vaccines or booster shots, which means the province can take steps now to ensure it has supply if that happens while also meeting demand elsewhere.
“There are still going to be billions of people around the world that are going to require vaccinations, so there’s a role to be played,” Mr. Schweitzer said in an interview.
“… And if there is a need for booster shots [to protect against variants], we want to make sure we avoid a situation of vaccine nationalism.”
Mr. Schweitzer said the type of support would depend on the proposals the government receives. He said the province hasn’t set a budget for its vaccine manufacturing program but it would come out of a combined $1.75-billion in contingency funds included in the recent provincial budget for COVID-19 response and economic recovery.
Proposals are due March 21.
Mr. Kenney has condemned the pace of the federal government’s vaccine program, particularly after significant delays in February meant Alberta effectively ran out of vaccines and had to suspend appointments.
Manitoba announced an agreement in February with Calgary-based Providence Therapeutics to purchase two million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate and Mr. Kenney said his government was considering following suit.
Federal vaccine shipments are ramping up and the government now expects to offer all Albertan adults their first shots by the end of June after joining other provinces in waiting four months before giving people second doses of the vaccines.
Providence chief executive officer Brad Sorenson said he doesn’t expect Alberta or other provinces to purchase COVID-19 vaccines from his company for the coming year, in light of increasing shipments from already-approved manufacturers.
However, he said he expects the federal and provincial governments will be looking for booster shots that will guard against the variants, and he said the support announced by the province will help ensure his company will be ready.
“We’ve been trying to raise the awareness provincially and federally about the importance of having security of supply and having this industry supported in Canada,” he said.
Mr. Sorenson said his company would be helped if governments placed orders. He noted the U.S. government gave Moderna US$1-billion to fund its vaccine research and said it’s difficult for Canadian companies to compete without some level of support in this country.
John Lewis, CEO of Edmonton-based Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc., which is also developing its own COVID-19 vaccine, said beyond the current pandemic and addressing potential variants, government funding would bolster the province’s capacity to produce other vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
“In Alberta, we have fantastic innovation, great academic centres,” Mr. Lewis said. “This is an opportunity for companies to innovate and also manufacture and commercialize vaccines and biotherapeutics.”
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