Canada is in the midst of finalizing a deal with the U.S. that could send 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine our way.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti says this will definitely help Canada’s vaccine rollout efforts.
“We just need more vaccines to go into arms.”
Now that the U.S. is well on its way to vaccinating its population, we can expect to see additional help from them because of their excess in supply, he adds.
A rise in COVID-19 cases among younger adults has been reported as Canada potentially enters a third wave.
Chakrabarti says this spike is reflective of high-infection areas like congregate work settings or settings where people have larger families.
“Younger people tend to be working in factories (and) in food processing plants,” he says, adding that it’s important to get these essential workplaces vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Moderna has recently begun testing its COVID-19 vaccine on children.
“Getting children vaccinated is a part of the global plan — it’s a much lower-risk group … but it’s still important for us to consider,” Chakrabarti says.
Ontario health experts are calling for a three-week lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 variants that have been rampant in the province.
Chakrabarti says a lockdown might be in order in certain areas — particularly in the Golden Horseshoe region.
“Everything’s on the table right now for the next couple of weeks.”
Read more:
Should vaccinated people across Canada get certain freedoms? Here’s what health experts say
Similar to routine flu shots, Chakrabarti adds that we can expect to receive COVID-19 booster shots down the track, potentially next season or in a couple of years.
For more information on current COVID-19 news, watch the full video above.
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.