QUESTION PERIOD — Health
COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
May 6, 2021
Honourable senators, my question for the government leader concerns the four-month delay between doses of the two-dose COVID-19 vaccines. This delay is the direct result of the Trudeau government’s inadequate vaccine procurement.
Leader, last week a coalition of 17 advocacy groups representing many different types of cancer patients issued an open letter to the Prime Minister. They are asking that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommendation be revised for cancer patients to receive their second dose within 21 to 28 days of the first shot. This is up to a four-week delay and not four months, leader.
Leader, this coalition believes the four-month delay is putting the lives of cancer patients in jeopardy. What is the Trudeau government’s response to this open letter? What do you say to Canada’s cancer patients and their families about this request?
Thank you for your question. The advisory committee, made up of volunteers and experts, has the responsibility of advising the government, as they have done.
Our democracy depends on the active engagement of advocacy groups, so I applaud their initiative. The government, however, continues to take and consider advice from the experts on NACI and continues to believe that, on balance, the decision to ensure that a greater number of Canadians receive their first dose remains in the best interests of Canadians.
Leader, a study out of the U.K. last week involving the Pfizer vaccine found that one dose provides insufficient protection against COVID-19 variants. The researchers behind the study warned that public health officials must be vigilant about ensuring people receive their second shot and that there is a window of vulnerability between the first and second doses.
Leader, I have previously raised concerns with you about delaying the second dose for cancer patients and the elderly. Front-line health care workers are asking for full protection against COVID-19. A group of Canadian scientists said a four-month delay between doses could make us vulnerable to vaccine-resistant variants. Why does the Trudeau government continue to ignore these concerns?
Thank you, senator. The government is not ignoring the concerns. It’s taking into account all the advice it’s given and, as I said before, has reached the conclusion that this is the safest and most prudent way to protect the greatest number of Canadians.
