Melissa Couto Zuber, The Canadian Press
Published Sunday, February 21, 2021 8:15 a.m. EST
Canadians scouring social media may come across pictures of their American peers with big smiles and vaccination cards showing they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
A recent surge in vaccine roll-out in the United States has vastly outpaced its northern neighbor, and some Canadians are wondering why distribution is lagging so far behind here.
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician in South Carolina, says that while the speed of the US rollout has been impressive lately, it hasn’t been without its mistakes.
Communication between states has been largely lacking, she says, and the lack of a unified standard for vaccine eligibility has led to inconsistencies across jurisdictions. For example, in some states, teachers are high on their list of priorities, while others are still vaccinating those 80 and older.
Confusion in the early stages of the rollout caused frustration and reduced confidence, she added. And while the shift to a new presidential administration brought some improvements last month, Kuppalli says there is room for more.
“I don’t think we are the model of success,” she said in a telephone interview. “We have had many challenges. … but it gets better. “
“Communication is better, there is definitely more transparency, and states have been very willing to step up vaccination measures and roll out massive vaccination centers. So that all helps. “
The US vaccinated an average of 1.7 million Americans a day this week and had administered at least one dose to more than 12 percent of the population since Friday.
Canada, which recently faced weeks of shipping delays and disruptions from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, has dispensed nearly 1.4 million doses since its introduction in mid-December, affecting approximately 2.65 percent of the population with at least one dose. is covered.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said vaccine deliveries will increase rapidly on Friday, with counties preparing to roll out nearly one and a half million doses over the next three weeks.
Americans have many factors in their favor in speeding up vaccine distribution, experts say, including a much wider offering than Canada’s, supported by the production of US-based Moderna.
While supplies are the first step, Kuppalli says it has also helped get those vaccines to the pharmacy, where they can be administered easily. The US government announced weeks ago that it plans to supply vaccines to about 40,000 drugstores in the coming months.
Canada has not yet reached the pharmacy phase of vaccine introduction, but Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, expects this to happen once we have enough supply to branch out.
“We have the exact same plan, we just need the critical mass of vaccines,” said Bogoch, who is also part of the Ontario Vaccine Distribution Task Force. “When we get that, you’ll see coast-to-coast vaccines being offered in many different settings.”
While pharmacy distribution makes sense for a rapid rollout, it can also lead to problems with wasted doses if people don’t show up for their appointments, says Kelly Grindrod, a professor at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy.
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines should be used within a relatively short timeframe after being thawed by ultra-cold storage temperatures, Grindrod says, and once a vial is punctured, that interval decreases further.
She says Canada has learned from the setbacks other countries are experiencing, and she expects Plan B lists to be compiled of individuals that can be completed quickly when there are no shows.
However, those lists must be drawn up fairly, she warns.
‘You have to make sure there is no waiting in line. So it’s not your friend coming in, they’re actually people who would normally fall in the next round of priority. “
Grindrod says jumping the queue – where people with a lower risk of contracting the virus or experiencing a poor COVID outcome are vaccinated before higher priority groups – is more culturally unacceptable in Canada than in the US, a country without universal health. care system.
So there’s justified outrage, she adds, when Canadians see American friends bragging about getting their jabs, especially when they’re not in high-risk populations.
“Equality is probably the most important principle of the introduction of Canadian vaccines,” said Grindrod. “And I’m not sure if that’s the case in the US”
While the US rollout has had its mistakes, Grindrod admires some of the more unique approaches taking place south of the border to ensure that at-risk groups can get their doses.
She noted the recent role black churches have played in coordinating vaccinations in typically deprived neighborhoods, and the pharmacists who have driven vaccines to remote communities to inoculate those who cannot easily reach an immunization center.
“You see really positive examples where communities themselves help create effective outreach,” she said.
“So I think these are the real lessons we can learn from the US”