Doctors believe most Canadians could be vaccinated against the coronavirus by next September rather than the end of 2021 as previously projected, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday (November 27).
Canada is in the middle of a second wave of the virus and daily cases regularly hit record highs despite increasing efforts by the 10 provinces to clamp down on businesses and curb gatherings.
Officials say they could start approving the various candidate vaccines in December and distribute doses in the first quarter of 2021.
The Canadian military will play a leading role in helping distribute coronavirus vaccines to far-flung areas when doses start arriving early next year, Trudeau also said.
Officials face the massive challenge of administering the vaccine across what is the world’s second-largest country by area, much of it sparsely populated and remote.
Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, has appointed a retired general to lead its vaccine deployment force.
(Production: Mana Rabiee)