Two new vaccines will help Canada in its fight against COVID-19, but the authorization of injections from Medicago and Novavax should not change the portrait of vaccination inside the country.
The efficacy rate of the vaccine from the Quebec company Medicago, named Covifenz, is 71%, according to data published by the pharmaceutical company and confirmed by Health Canada.
This “effectiveness” corresponds to the “relative effectiveness” of the vaccine, specifies Alain Lamarre, expert in immunology at the National Institute for Scientific Research. This statistic reflects the comparison between a group of vaccinated people and a control group that received a placebo. “If, compared to the 100 patients who had COVID-19 in the placebo group, only 10 were sick in the vaccinated group, we are talking about a relative efficacy of 90%,” says Lamarre.
This method of calculation differs from the “real” effectiveness rate, which is observed in the general population and which depends on the “penetration rate of the infection in the population”. The actual efficiency rate is generally lower than the relative rate.
As for Covifenz, this newcomer could make some recalcitrants change their minds. But it’s a safe bet that this vaccine developed in Quebec will be mainly exported. Four out of five Canadians are now adequately protected, and Covifenz is only recommended for “primary vaccination”, not booster doses.
“It’s a much easier vaccine to store and send,” notes Alain Lamarre. You just need a normal refrigerator to carry it. »
Canada has ordered 20 million doses. Distribution is expected to begin in mid-May, according to the government.
This text is taken from our newsletter “Coronavirus mail” of February 28, 2022. To subscribe, click here.