Melissa Couto Zuber, The Canadian Press
Published on Sunday, 21 February 2021 08:15 EST
Canadians reading social media can come across photos of their American counterparts with wide smiles and vaccination cards showing that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
A recent increase in vaccine deployment in the United States has left its northern neighbor much better than some Canadians wonder why the spread here is so lagging behind.
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, a physician at Infectious Diseases in South Carolina, says that while the speed of U.S. implementation has been impressive lately, it has not been flawless.
Communication between states has mostly been lacking, she says, and the absence of a uniform standard for vaccine admission has led to inconsistencies in jurisdictions. Some states, for example, include teachers high on their priority list, while others are still vaccinating those who are 80 years and older.
Confusion in the early stages of the deployment caused frustration and dampened confidence, she added. And while the move to a new presidential government last month led to some improvements, Kuppalli says there is room for more.
“I do not think we are the model of success,” she said in a telephone interview. “We had a lot of challenges. … but it’s getting better. ‘
‘Communication is better, there is definitely more transparency, and states have been very active in drafting vaccine measures and setting up mass vaccination sites. So it all helps. ”
The U.S. vaccinated an average of 1.7 million Americans a day this week and has administered at least one dose to more than 12 percent of its population since Friday.
Canada, which recently dealt with weeks of delays and interruptions in the shipping of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, has issued nearly 1.4 million doses since the beginning of mid-December, and about 2.65 percent of its population with at least one dose cover.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the vaccine supply will increase rapidly, but provinces are preparing to deliver nearly a million and a half doses over the next three weeks.
According to the experts, the Americans have many factors in their favor to accelerate the distribution of vaccines, including a much more extensive supply than that of Canada which is strengthened by the production from the American Moderna.
Although stock is the first step, Kuppalli says the vaccination in pharmacies, where it can be easily administered, has also helped. The U.S. government announced weeks ago that it would have to deliver vaccines to about 40,000 drugstores in the coming months.
Canada has not yet reached the pharmacy stage of its vaccination, but dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, expects this to happen as soon as we have enough stock to tackle.
“We have exactly the same plan, we just need the critical mass of vaccines,” Bogoch said. He is also on Ontario’s vaccine distribution team. “If we get it, you’ll see vaccines from coast to coast in many different places.”
While the proliferation of pharmacies makes sense for rapid implementation, it can also cause problems with wasted doses if people do not show up for their appointments, says Kelly Grindrod, a professor at the University of Waterloo.
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines should be used within a relatively short period of time after thawing due to cold storage temperature, Grindrod says, and once a vial is pierced, the interval decreases further.
She says Canada has learned from the setbacks that other countries are experiencing, and she expects Plan B lists to be compiled from individuals who can fill out quickly if there is no turnout.
These lists must be made fair, she warns.
‘You have to make sure that no ropes are jumped. So it’s not your friend who’s coming in, but people who would normally fall into the next priority round. ”
Grindrod says that row-jumping – where people at lower risk of contracting the virus or having a bad COVID result are vaccinated in front of higher-priority groups – was more unacceptable in Canada than in the US, ‘ a country without a universal health care system.
So there is some fair outrage, she adds, when Canadian American friends see that they can stick to it, especially if they are not in high-risk populations.
“Shares are probably the most important principle of Canadian vaccine vaccination,” Grindrod said. “And I’m not sure that’s the case in the US”
While the U.S. blast has had flaws, Grindrod admires some of the more unique approaches taking place south of the border to ensure high-risk groups can get their doses.
She noted that the recent role that black churches have played in coordinating vaccines among neighborhoods that are usually under service, and the pharmacists who have managed vaccines in remote communities, to vaccinate those who do not easily get to a vaccination center.
“You see really positive examples where communities themselves are helping to bring about effective outreach,” she said.
“So I think these are the right lessons we can learn from the US.”