As the U.K announces it will be the first country to have a COVID-19 vaccination in the arms of its citizens, Canadians ask when the same will happen here.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still trying desperately to change the direction of the firestorm he created last week when he casually mentioned to Canadians that we would not be receiving our COVID-19 vaccinations with the rest of the world.
The prime minister, who promised transparency, failed to mention such timelines when boasting about the size of his portfolio whenever the vaccination does arrive.
He and others in the Liberal party then promoted the delay in receiving the vaccine as one of safety. We have to make sure we do our rigorous testing before releasing it to Canadians, they say.
Yes, of course, as we always do.
However, approval by Health Canada will no way delay the release or distribution of this vaccination into the arms of Canadians. Most world health authorities are already getting the same research information in stages, as it is released by drug companies, for the very purpose of speeding up the process.
This has been one of the advantages of this global pandemic: a timely process to support research and development has kept most on the same page already.
Justin Trudeau is selling Canadians information that is of no real value to their concerns, anxiety or the conversation itself.
The question has never been about timely drug approval, it has always been about procurement.
When are we going to get the vaccine?
How much, what type and from whom, other than the six million doses — enough for three million people — promised January to March?
Shouldn’t we at least have a date?
The rest of the world does.
Scott Thompson is the host of The Scott Thompson Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML Hamilton.