COVID-19 vaccines have started to arrive in Canada.
The Prime Minister tweeted that the initial shipments of the vaccine touched down on Sunday night.
Ontario is expecting 90,000 doses of the vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech and the Premier’s office has confirmed the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be administered in the province today.
Ontario’s first few thousand doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are expected to reach Toronto later this morning, where a healthcare will get the very first shot.
The federal government has said that the plan is to roll out initial vaccine doses to four priority groups: residents and employees at long-term care homes, Canadians aged 70 and above, front-line health-care workers and adults in Indigenous communities.
The Public Health Agency of Canada added that the plan is to begin vaccinating the general population in April, with the goal of inoculating the entire country by the end of September.
Meanwhile, Health Canada says people with allergies to any of the vaccine’s ingredients should not receive it.
Two people in the United Kingdom had severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but the agency adds both patients had histories of severe allergic reactions and quickly recovered.
Tonight, the first shipments of a #COVID19 vaccine arrived in Canada, an important step in our fight against the virus. We are working closely with provinces and territories to get safe and effective vaccines to Canadians as quickly as possible. pic.twitter.com/GbmF1vGMdL
— Prime Minister of Canada (@CanadianPM) December 14, 2020
Shipments of initial #COVID19 vaccine doses have arrived in Canada. #CBSA is mobilized and well prepared to clear this cargo for entry. A historic day in 🇨🇦 and an important step in our fight against #COVID19. @GovCanHealth https://t.co/ZPhKNJwzL3
— Canada Border Services Agency (@CanBorder) December 14, 2020