On Monday December 7th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented a Christmas gift to the country with a major announcement. Canada had secured an agreement to receive 249,000 doses of the COVID vaccine produced by the Pharmaceutical firm Pfizer.
The shipment of the first round batch is already on its way. Canadians should begin inoculation as early as December 14. With many cities struggling after three quarters of a year of devastation wrought by the pandemic, many Canadians are looking at the prospect of the chosen few receiving the magical elixir in their arms as a signal that there will be some relief in the year ahead.
Health authorities are concerned as they see a vaccine as the last, best hope for ending the threat of the virus. The Canadian government is concerned because, among other reasons, they have invested over $1 billion dollars toward “ the biggest immunization in the history of the country.”
Yet, there is some hesitancy about the solution. A recent poll put out by Radio-Canada and Ipsos found that while 63 per cent of the population intend to get the vaccine, 16 per cent said they definitely would not and 21 per cent, more than one in five, were unsure.
One volunteer body, Vaccine Choice Canada, formed in response to growing parental concerns surrounding the safety of vaccine programs and acting as a “watchdog” society over government and health officials breaching informed consent. Their website lists several points on its website questioning the companies’ pledges for safety and efficacy.
They are currently challenging the Governments of Canada and Ontario, the Municipality of Toronto, several public health officials, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on the grounds that the measures introduced in response to the COVID situation are violating several rights of Canadians. (more...)
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