Canada agrees to relabel Pfizer vaccine to say each vial contains six doses, rather than five - National Post

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“We are encouraged by this development from Health Canada and remain ready to administer the COVID-19 vaccine and expand vaccination sites as soon as we receive supply from the federal government,” she said in an email.

Marla MacInnis, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia government, said they were working to get more of the special syringes and ultimately the decision meant a faster vaccine effort.

“We are working with the National Operations Centre to access low-dead volume syringes and to procure an additional supply on our own,” she said. “This will mean more Nova Scotians will receive their vaccine sooner.

If you're using those syringes reliably ... then you should be able to get that sixth dose reliably

A source in the Alberta government was more critical. They said the province was more consistently getting the sixth dose from vials, but it was not happening every time. They suggested Health Canada accepting the change was proof the federal government had little leverage in its dealings with vaccine manufacturers.

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole said the government should offer more detail and should have pushed to ensure Pfizer meets its full commitment and makes up any doses lost as part of this change.

“Today’s announcement means that the Liberal government is allowing Pfizer to send fewer vials of vaccines to Canada,” he said in a statement. “Mandating that the provinces do more with less means healthcare workers will need to retrain and change tack in the middle of a pandemic.”

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, who is overseeing the government’s vaccine distribution effort, said the government had placed large orders for the low dead-space syringes and had already received millions that could be moved out to provinces. The government was also planning training webinars for healthcare workers to help them consistently get the doses in arms.

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2021-02-10 01:02:16Z
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