Melissa Couto Zuber, Canadian press
Published Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 8:15 AM EST
Canadians examining social media may come across photos of their American colleagues wearing wide smiles and vaccination cards showing that they have been inoculated against COVID-19.
A recent surge in vaccine launches in the United States has far surpassed its northern neighbor, and some Canadians are wondering why distribution here lags so far behind.
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician in South Carolina, says that while the U.S. launch rate has been impressive lately, it has not been without its flaws.
Communication between states was largely lacking, she says, and the lack of a uniform standard for vaccine eligibility has led to discrepancies between jurisdictions. Some states, for example, include teachers on the priority list, while others are still working to inoculate those over 80.
She added that the confusion in the early stages of the launch caused frustration and a slowdown in confidence. And while the move to a new presidential administration last month has led to some improvements, Kuppalli says there is room for more.
“I don’t think we’re the model for success,” she said in a telephone interview. “I had a lot of challenges. … but it’s getting better. “
“Communication is better, there is certainly greater transparency, and states have been very forthcoming in stepping up vaccination measures and launching mass vaccination sites. So all that 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% of its population since Friday.
Canada, which recently dealt with weeks of transport delays and disruptions from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, distributed nearly 1.4 million doses since its launch in mid-December, covering about 2.65% of its population with at least one dose.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday’s delivery of vaccines will increase rapidly, however, with the provinces preparing to launch nearly 1.5 million doses over the next three weeks.
Americans have many factors in their favor when accelerating the distribution of the vaccine, experts say, including a much wider offer than in Canada, which is supported by production from Moderna in the US.
Although the supply is the first step, Kuppalli says the introduction of these vaccines in pharmacies, where they can be easily administered, has also helped. The US government announced a few weeks ago its goal of delivering vaccines to about 40,000 pharmacies in the coming months.
Canada has not yet reached the pharmacy stage of the vaccine launch, but Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, expects this to happen once we have enough supply to expand.
“We have exactly the same plan, we just need the critical mass of vaccines,” said Bogoch, who is also in the Ontario Vaccine Distribution Working Group. “When we get this, you’ll see coast-to-coast vaccines offered in many different conditions.”
While distribution in pharmacies makes sense for a quick launch, 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 must be used in a relatively short time after being thawed from ultra-cold storage temperatures, says Grindrod, and once a vial has been perforated, that interval decreases even more.
She says Canada has learned from the loss failures of other countries and expects Plan B lists to be compiled by people who can fill in quickly when no presentations appear.
These lists must be made fairly, however, she warns.
“You have to make sure there are no queues. So it’s not your friend coming, it’s actually people who would normally fall into the next round of priority. ”
Grindrod says the queue – if people at lower risk of contracting the virus or experiencing poor COVID results are vaccinated before higher-priority groups – has been more culturally unacceptable in Canada than in Canada. USA, a country without universal health – the care system.
So there is some justified outrage, she adds, when Canadians see American friends bragging about hitting themselves, especially if they are not in high-risk populations.
“Equity is probably the most important principle in launching Canadian vaccines,” Grindrod said. “And I’m not sure that’s the case in the United States.”
While the US launch had its flaws, Grindrod admired some of the more unique approaches happening south of the border to ensure that high-risk groups can get their doses.
She mentioned the recent role that black churches have played in coordinating inoculation actions between usually disadvantaged neighborhoods and pharmacists who have run vaccines in remote communities to inoculate those who cannot easily reach an immunization center.
“You see really positive examples where communities themselves are helping to create effective information,” she said.
“So I think these are the real lessons we can learn from the United States.”