Question Period Note: UPDATE ON mRNA VACCINE SUPPLY

What is the Public Health Agency of Canada doing to ensure there is sufficient mRNA vaccine supply to complete current booster and pediatric campaigns for Canadians and to respond to COVID-19 variants of concern?

• Canada is well-positioned to meet the needs of Canadians with ample vaccine supply in 2022 and beyond.
• In 2020, Canada established advance purchase agreements with seven manufacturers to ensure access to the best possible vaccine supply. This strategy has served Canada well in terms of access to significant supply of Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccine.
• With the combination of vaccines already on-soil and upcoming deliveries, Canada has sufficient supply to ensure all eligible Canadians are protected for primary series, boosters, and pediatrics.
• Canada’s contracts with Pfizer and Moderna provide for sufficient firm mRNA doses to meet all potential domestic needs until the end of 2023, including extra options in both 2022 and 2023, and an optional year in 2024.
• In 2022 alone, up to 100 million doses of mRNA vaccine will be available to us.
• We have built flexibility into these agreements to ensure that we can access new products and formulations, which positions us well to act quickly to implement pediatrics, boosters and respond with variant-specific formulations if they become available.
• Novavax is the first protein subunit vaccine available in Canada, and an initial shipment was delivered in March 2022. Canada also expects two additional non-mRNA vaccines to become available (Medicago and Sanofi) providing millions of additional doses.

If pressed on the growing demand for vaccines in the face of variants of concerns like Omicron
• With the combination of doses already on-soil and upcoming deliveries, Canada has sufficient supply to ensure all eligible Canadians are protected for primary series, boosters, and pediatrics.
• In the face of Omicron, Canada was able to on-board sufficient supply of both pediatrics and boosters for the provinces and territories to expedite simultaneous vaccine campaigns.
• The Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada continue to work closely with provinces and territories and Indigenous partners on challenges they are facing in their COVID-19 responses, including vaccine rollout.

If pressed on access to variant specific formulations of vaccines
• We continue to closely monitor progress made by vaccine manufacturers as they investigate the effectiveness of their vaccines against Omicron and move forward to develop potential Omicron-specific formulations.
• Current agreements already provide access to new formulations, including variant specific formulations that may be developed by vaccine manufacturers in the future.
• Future decision-making will be tied to scientific evidence and product availability while leveraging our existing agreements, where possible.

If pressed on pediatric vaccine supply
• The Government of Canada and Pfizer agreed to accelerate the delivery of 5.8 million doses of pediatric vaccine in December 2021 and January 2022 to provide first and second doses to all eligible children in Canada aged 5 to 11 years old.
• Additionally, in March 2022, Health Canada authorized Moderna’s vaccine for use in children aged 6 to 11 years old.
• All provinces and territories have now received their shipments and begun administering the vaccines to children.
• Current contracts will also ensure access to pediatric vaccines for the youngest children (6 months – 4 years) if they become available.

If pressed on supply to provide a 3rd dose booster to all eligible Canadians and possibly a 4th dose
• Canada has sufficient mRNA doses on soil for all eligible Canadians who want a 3rd or 4th dose.
• A 4th booster dose is currently recommended for individuals 80 years of age and older, and residents of long-term care or other congregate living settings for seniors.
• It is too soon to know if a 4th dose will be required broadly in 2022. We are just beginning to receive data on the impact and durability of the 3rd/booster doses, which the Public Health Agency of Canada and provinces and territories will continue to monitor closely and advise accordingly.
• Canada’s contracts with Pfizer and Moderna provide for sufficient doses of mRNA to provide 4th doses in 2022.

If pressed on booster supply for the 12-17 age group
• The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that a 3rd dose should be offered to adolescents 12 to 17 years old who have an underlying medical condition that puts them at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, are residents of congregate living settings, or who belong to racialized and/or marginalized communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
• Canada’s contracts provide sufficient doses of mRNA to provide boosters for Canadians aged 12 to 17 in 2022.

If pressed on supply of non-mRNA vaccine
• The Government of Canada has worked with provinces and territories and manufacturers to ensure non-mRNA options are available for those who cannot or will not take an mRNA vaccine.
• Novavax is the first protein subunit vaccine available in Canada, and an initial shipment of 3.2 million doses was delivered in March 2022.
• Canada currently has 162,000 doses of Janssen in storage.
• Medicago has also received regulatory approval and deliveries are expected to begin in the coming months.

If pressed on vaccine donations
• The Prime Minister announced that Canada will donate the equivalent of at least 200 million doses to the COVAX Facility by the end of 2022.
• This includes both financial commitments to COVAX and surplus dose donations.
• As of April 6, 2022, 14.2 million surplus vaccine doses have been delivered through the COVAX Facility and the equivalent of 87 million doses have been provided through financial support.

If pressed on Canadian manufacturing supply
• While our agreements have provided access to an abundance of supply, Canada has also developed a Biomanufacturing and Life Science Strategy to address, in part, the security of future vaccine supply.
• Three of Canada's existing suppliers, Novavax, Medicago, and Moderna, have also expressed interest in expanding or developing domestic production capacity.

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Key Facts
• Canada’s vaccine acquisition strategy has evolved based on demand and scientific guidance and will provide robust and flexible supply to meet a variety of potential needs over the coming years.
• Canada has sufficient supply of mRNA to meet the demand for 2022.
• Canada has agreements with Moderna and Pfizer for a combined supply of up to 100 million mRNA doses for 2022 (55 million firm doses, plus 45 million doses in options) and up to 95 million mRNA doses in 2023 (50 million firm doses, plus 45 million doses in options) with options to extend into 2024.
• In addition to providing booster vaccine doses, the agreements provide flexibility to procure new second-generation COVID-19 vaccine formulations, such as those to protect against variants of concern, and those developed for younger populations, if they become available.