Vaccines and treatments for COVID-19: Vaccine rollout
On this page
- Producing a vaccine
- Securing enough vaccine
- Vaccination for COVID-19
- Groups that will get the vaccine first
- How Canada chooses groups for early vaccination
- Where to get vaccinated in your province or territory
- Distributing vaccines
- Videos, posters and infographics to share
Producing a vaccine
Producing a vaccine is complex. It requires significant investments to ensure it can be produced on a large scale with good quality and consistency. Our investments in research will help make sure Canada has faster access to safe and effective vaccines.
Manufacturers manage the process for vaccine production.
Both private and large public investments from governments around the world are being put toward research and development of COVID-19 vaccines.
This partnership between private industry and the public can lead to more affordable and ground-breaking health products for Canada.
Securing enough vaccine
On December 9, 2020, we authorized the first vaccine in Canada for the prevention of COVID-19. Find out about COVID-19 vaccines that are authorized in Canada.
We're working to make sure everyone in Canada has access to these vaccines as quickly as possible. This includes working with provinces and territories, as they're responsible for planning and running vaccination programs. The advance purchase agreements we've signed will help us reach this goal.
We're investing in a large selection of vaccines and working hard to make sure vaccine doses are available as quickly as possible after authorization. But it will take time before there's enough vaccine for everyone in Canada. This is why we identified priority populations for the first doses of the vaccines with the:
- provinces and territories and
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization
The Government of Canada will also provide additional support for:
- securing storage facilities
- getting supplies (like needles, swabs and gauze)
- helping with distribution across the country
Vaccination for COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Canada are free. They're available to priority populations first. They'll then be available to everyone in Canada who is recommended to get the vaccine by federal, provincial and territorial public health authorities.
This applies to:
- everyone in Canada, including those who aren't citizens and who are over the:
- age of 16 for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
- age of 18 for the Moderna vaccine
- diplomatic staff and their dependants
- Canadian Armed Forces personnel that are on active duty abroad
Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to:
- prevent the spread
- reduce the impact of infectious diseases
- protect us against COVID-19
How many people in Canada have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine
Groups that will get the vaccine first
Stage 1
Stage 1 priority for early COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to groups who are:
- at higher risk of severe outcomes of COVID-19
- most likely to transmit to those at higher risk for severe illness or death
These groups include:
- residents and staff of shared living settings who provide care for seniors
- adults 70 years of age and older, with order of priority:
- beginning with adults 80 years of age and older
- decreasing the age limit by 5-year increments to age 70 as supply becomes available
- frontline health care workers who have direct contact with patients, including:
- personal support workers
- those who work in health care settings
- adults in Indigenous communities
Stage 2
When enough COVID-19 vaccines and supplies become available to stage 1 groups, stage 2 should offer vaccinations to:
- adults in or from Indigenous communities not included in stage 1, including those who live in urban settings
- residents and staff of all other shared living settings, such as:
- shelters
- group homes
- correctional facilities
- housing for migrant workers
- adults 60 to 69 years of age:
- beginning with those 65 years of age or older, then
- decreasing the age limit to 60 years
- adults in racialized and marginalized communities
- first responders, including:
- police
- military
- firefighters
- coast guard
- frontline essential workers who can’t work virtually and have direct close physical contact with the public, such as:
- postal services
- border services
- rotational workers
- grocery store staff
- transportation workers
- those involved in the pandemic response
- food production or manufacturing workers
- teachers and school or childcare staff not working virtually
- essential primary caregivers for people who:
- can’t care for themselves and
- are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 due to advanced age (60 years of age or older)
Stage 3
As supply increases and people in previous stages have been offered vaccines, stage 3 should offer vaccines to:
- people 16 to 59 years of age with an underlying medical condition who are at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19
- this includes their essential primary caregiver, where applicable
- adults 50 to 59 years of age without an underlying medical condition:
- beginning with adults 55 years of age or older. then
- decreasing the age limit to 50 years
- non-frontline health care workers that:
- are needed to maintain health care capacity but
- don’t have direct close physical contact with the public
- non-frontline essential workers who don’t have direct close physical contact with the public
How Canada chooses groups for early vaccination
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is an independent committee of experts that provides advice to the Public Health Agency of Canada. This advice is then distributed and published to inform decision making by provinces and territories, which are responsible for administering vaccines and deciding which populations will receive them first.
NACI’s recommendations aim to achieve the goal of Canada’s pandemic response, which is to reduce serious illness and death while reducing disruptions in society
The committee chooses groups for early vaccination by looking at risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease and outcomes, such as:
- biological factors like:
- advanced age
- pre-existing medical conditions
- social factors like:
- low socioeconomic status
- belonging to a racialized population
The decision-making process also includes a review of:
- ethics
- equity
- feasibility
- acceptability
These recommendations aim to reduce disruptions in society due to the pandemic by prioritizing those who:
- provide essential services
- take additional risks to protect the public
Recommendations are based on:
- population-based analysis of the risks and benefits that considers:
- risk of exposure to COVID-19, including:
- ability to physically distance
- access to other measures to prevent infection
- risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19
- how safe and effective authorized vaccines are in key populations
- risk of exposure to COVID-19, including:
- results of clinical trials
- vaccine supply, which is the timing of available doses and the number of:
- available vaccine types
- doses each group needs
- the current pandemic situation when vaccines become available
Provinces and territories may have to adjust their strategy at each stage depending on local trends and transmission rates.
Where to get vaccinated in your province or territory
For information on the vaccination rollout plans in your province or territory, please refer to your provincial or territorial website:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Northwest Territories
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
Distributing vaccines
COVID-19 vaccines will be available to everyone in Canada who are recommended to get the vaccine by federal, provincial and territorial public health bodies. Doses of the vaccines will be distributed in Canada in phases, which began in December 2020. Assuming the continued supply of safe and effective vaccines, it's expected there will be enough vaccines to immunize everyone for whom vaccines are approved and recommended. We anticipate this will be accomplished by September of 2021.
The following table describes the quantities of COVID-19 vaccines that have been delivered to provinces and territories to date. The total vaccine confirmed distribution table will be updated weekly.
Vaccine distribution | Pfizer/BioNTech | Moderna | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Total distributed in Canada | 1,806,864 | 630,600 | 2,437,464 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 26,520 | 7,300 | 33,820 |
Prince Edward Island | 11,115 | 3,600 | 14,715 |
Nova Scotia | 47,580 | 14,400 | 61,980 |
New Brunswick | 36,075 | 10,700 | 46,775 |
Quebec | 404,619 | 133,200 | 537,819 |
Ontario | 698,685 | 204,600 | 903,285 |
Manitoba | 71,760 | 28,900 | 100,660 |
Saskatchewan | 58,305 | 16,300 | 74,605 |
Alberta | 208,065 | 66,900 | 274,965 |
British Columbia | 224,140 | 79,200 | 323,340 |
Yukon | 0 | 18,900 | 18,900 |
Northwest Territories | 0 | 19,100 | 19,100 |
Nunavut | 0 | 23,900 | 23,900 |
Federal allocationFootnote 1 | 0 | 3,600 | 3,600 |
Footnotes
|
The following tables describe the allocations of vaccine that are forecasted to be available for provinces and territories over the next number of weeks. These tables are updated as the quantities of available vaccine and the timing of future deliveries are confirmed. Fluctuations from week to week are possible. Allocation forecasts are therefore subject to change on short notice.
Forecasted allocation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to provinces and territories
Current Pfizer-BioNTech allocations are based on a 6 dose per vial product monograph.
Distribution location | 15-21 Feb | 22-28 Feb | 1-7 Mar | 8-14 Mar | 15-21 Mar | 22-28 Mar | 29 Mar - 4 Apr |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total forecasted allocations | 403,650 | 475,020 | 444,600 | 444,600 | 444,600 | 444,600 | 444,600 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 5,850 | 7,020 | 5,850 | 5,850 | 5,850 | 5,850 | 5,850 |
Prince Edward Island | 1,170 | 1,170 | 1,170 | 1,170 | 1,170 | 1,170 | 1,170 |
Nova Scotia | 10,530 | 11,700 | 11,700 | 11,700 | 10,530 | 10,530 | 11,700 |
New Brunswick | 8,190 | 9,360 | 9,360 | 9,360 | 9,360 | 9,360 | 9,360 |
Quebec | 91,260 | 107,640 | 100,620 | 100,620 | 101,790 | 101,790 | 101,790 |
Ontario | 156,780 | 186,030 | 173,160 | 173,160 | 174,330 | 174,330 | 175,500 |
Manitoba | 15,210 | 17,550 | 16,380 | 16,380 | 14,040 | 14,040 | 14,040 |
Saskatchewan | 12,870 | 15,210 | 14,040 | 14,040 | 12,870 | 12,870 | 12,870 |
Alberta | 46,800 | 54,990 | 51,480 | 51,480 | 53,820 | 53,820 | 52,650 |
British Columbia | 54,990 | 64,350 | 60,840 | 60,840 | 60,840 | 60,840 | 59,670 |
Yukon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Northwest Territories | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Nunavut | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Forecasted allocation of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to provinces and territories
Distribution location | 1-7 Feb | 22-28 Feb |
---|---|---|
Total forecasted allocations | 180,000 | 168,000 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,500 | 1,800 |
Prince Edward Island | 700 | 500 |
Nova Scotia | 4,000 | 3,000 |
New Brunswick | 3,200 | 2,400 |
Quebec | 38,200 | 28,500 |
Ontario | 63,400 | 47,400 |
Manitoba | 8,100 | 6,100 |
Saskatchewan | 6,000 | 4,500 |
Alberta | 18,800 | 14,100 |
British Columbia | 22,500 | 16,400 |
Yukon | 4,500 | 16,100 |
Northwest Territories | 4,700 | 16,200 |
Nunavut | 3,400 | 11,000 |
Videos, posters and infographics to share
- COVID-19: How vaccines are developed (video)
- Vaccine development and approval in Canada (infographic)
- What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine for Canada (poster)
Related links
- Canada's COVID-19 immunization plan
- Drugs and vaccines for COVID-19
- Regulating vaccines for human use in Canada
- COVID-19: International research and development
For health professionals
- Webinars on COVID-19 vaccines
- National Advisory Committee on Immunization
- Guidance on the prioritization of initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine(s)
For industry
- Date modified: