International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan has said he wants the World Health Organization (WHO) to give the green light to Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine so it can be donated and used by children. COVAX Vaccine Sharing Alliance.
The WHO expects to reject Medicago’s candidate vaccine against COVID-19 due to the pharmaceutical’s ties to the tobacco industry.
Sajjan said Canada’s ability to distribute more doses to low-income countries depends primarily on ensuring that the doses will be used when they are sent.
Less than two million doses have been shipped this year. More can be shipped as soon as recipient countries indicate they are ready to receive them, Sajjan said.
On paper, Canada should have almost 100 million additional doses available. They were purchased for Canadians, but cannot be used here.
Half of them are Novavax vaccine, the distribution of which has not yet been confirmed by Canada. Some 20 million other doses come from Medicago, a vaccine that can only be distributed if the WHO agrees to approve it.
The “Covifenz” vaccine, from the Quebec-based company Medicago, was approved by Health Canada last month.
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