Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants a clear delivery date for the province’s share of COVID-19 vaccines, stressing that “the clock is ticking” when it comes to fighting the novel coronavirus.
Ford says he’s been asking the federal government for clarity as to how much of what vaccine the province will receive and when, but hasn’t gotten the answers he needs.
The premier says he’s set to speak to Pfizer, one the drugmakers that has entered into an agreement with Canada, this afternoon but expects he will be told the information must come from Ottawa.
Ford says he keeps seeing reports that other countries, such as the United Kingdom, are on track to start COVID-19 immunizations soon, and Ontarians “need answers.”
Meanwhile, the American biotech company Moderna says the first 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine will be shipped to the United States next month.
Ontario and Quebec, the two provinces with the bulk of COVID-19 cases, reported 1,746 and 1,333 new infections today respectively, as well as eight and 23 new deaths related to the virus.
Out east, six new infections have been recorded in New Brunswick today, while Newfoundland and Labrador reported one.
On Sunday, the federal government announced it will extend a series of travel restrictions meant to limit the spread of COVID-19 into January, in light of the steady rise in case counts across the country.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Health Minister Patty Hajdu said in a statement the measures, which were first enacted near the start of the global health crisis, would be in effect until Jan. 21, 2021 for travellers entering Canada from a country other than the United States.