QUESTION PERIOD — Health
COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
May 5, 2021
Honourable senators, I’m wondering whether Senator Marwah would answer my question. He seems to be more direct than our government leader.
However, I will focus again on the government and see if we can get one here.
In a press conference on Monday, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, NACI, told Canadians that mRNA vaccines are preferred to AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson, and Canadians could wait for Pfizer or Moderna if they can.
NACI told Canadians the exact opposite, leader, of what the Trudeau government has been saying to Canadians for a month — that the best vaccine is the first one you’re offered — yet when the Minister of Health was asked about NACI’s guidance on Monday, her response was, “Talk to your doctor.”
Leader, the Trudeau government let NACI’s comments implying second-class vaccines go unchallenged on Monday. Why didn’t the health minister, the Prime Minister or anyone in your government provide Canadians with a clear message about these vaccines?
Thank you for your question. It’s very unfortunate that the communication around these issues has not been as clear as we would like, and it’s a regrettable situation.
It’s important to draw a distinction, first of all, between the roles of NACI and the roles of Health Canada and, indeed, the roles of our elected officials. In this regard, NACI’s comments were consistent with what they’ve been saying for some time from a scientific point of view. That is, from a strictly scientific view, the Pfizer and Moderna are considered to be more effective vaccines because of their technology than the other two.
However, Health Canada, which has primary responsibility to ensure that vaccines are safe, has been consistent as well in that all of the vaccines that we have available in Canada are safe and recommended to be used. It remains the case, as the Prime Minister has said, that Canadians should take the decisions to make sure that they and those around them in their families and communities are safe, and that means taking the vaccine that’s available.
At a press conference yesterday, leader, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said that there will be further clarification and advice coming about mixing the first dose of AstraZeneca with Pfizer or Moderna before Canadians get their second dose.
Since early March, around 1.7 million Canadians have taken the AstraZeneca vaccine. It’s perfectly understandable if they’re worried and confused about what they’re hearing from their federal government in recent days.
Leader, should Canadians who have already taken AstraZeneca expect to hear they have to take one or more doses of a different vaccine in the months ahead?
Thank you for the question, but respectfully, colleague, that is not why the question of whether or not one can mix vaccines is being explored.
First of all, science changes. The vaccines were developed with remarkable efficiency and speed, but the clinical tests to see the long-range effects, of course, remain under way.
Because of the security of supply of Pfizer and Moderna, it is totally appropriate here in Canada and elsewhere in the world for scientists to be considering what possibilities may exist for safely mixing different vaccines. This has nothing to do with the AstraZeneca vaccine per se; it’s simply a question of determining whether it would be appropriate, safe and effective to mix and match vaccines for the benefit of all who are awaiting their second dose.
