Moderna Cuts Vaccine Deliveries to Canada by 46% as Cases Soar

(Bloomberg) -- Moderna Inc. informed Justin Trudeau’s vaccine czar that Canada will receive barely half of the Covid-19 shots that were expected to arrive by the end of April.

Procurement Minister Anita Anand said Friday shipments this month will now contain 650,000 doses instead of the planned 1.2 million doses. The manufacturer also warned that as many as 2 million of the 12.3 million shots scheduled for delivery by the end of June will instead be provided at the end of September.

“We are disappointed, and while we understand the challenges facing suppliers in the current global market for vaccines, our government will continue to press Moderna to fulfill its commitments,” Anand said by email.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, however, also announced an agreement to purchase 8 million more Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE doses. Four million are expected to arrive in May, with 2 million each in June and July.

News of the Moderna delay come as a third wave of the pandemic rages. This week, Canada passed the U.S. for the first time in the number of new Covid-19 cases per capita, based on the seven-day moving average.

Nearly 20% of Canadians have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, compared with 38% in the U.S. and 49% in the U.K., according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

‘State of Crisis’

The numbers have continued to climb in the most densely-populated regions. Ontario reported 4,812 new cases on Friday, a record for the province that is home to nearly 40% of Canada’s residents.

Moderna said the delay is due to a slower-than-expected start to planned production increases. Deliveries to the U.K. and other countries were also cut.

“The trajectory of vaccine manufacturing ramp-up is not linear, and despite best efforts, there is a shortfall in previously estimated doses from the European supply chain,” Patricia Gauthier, Canada country manager for Moderna, said in an emailed statement.

The Canadian Medical Association is calling for urgent measures to address the “state of crisis unfolding in several provinces.” Health care resources -- including vaccines -- need to be moved across provincial and territorial borders to areas where the capacity is overwhelmed, the association said.

“We act as one country when crisis hits with wildfires, floods and other tragedies. This pandemic has reached a new level that requires a national response,” Ann Collins, president of the CMA, said Friday in a statement.

The spread of the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the U.K., in particular, has created a race to get residents vaccinated and signs are that some regions are losing. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly pointed to delayed vaccine shipments as the major reason the virus has been gaining traction; this week some vaccination clinics in Toronto had to shut down, canceling existing appointments, because they’re out of doses.

Vaccine hesitancy continues to be an issue in some areas, particularly after health authorities suspended use of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine for people under 55, given rare links to blood clots. Health Canada has updated warnings on the label but now says the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

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Elsewhere in Canada, the situation also worsening. The western province of British Columbia hit records for new cases and hospitalizations and on Thursday said new cases could double to 2,000 per day by May if people don’t reduce contact. Close to 60% of cases are now variants, roughly split between the U.K. and Brazil strains. Alberta and Saskatchewan are also seeing spikes.

In Quebec, a few regions have seen a surge in cases that’s threatening to fill Covid-designated hospital beds within three weeks, a government agency said Thursday. Parts of the province went back into lockdown this month, closing schools and non-essential stores. Widespread restrictions, including an 8 p.m. curfew, have sparked some protests over the past week.

Just over a quarter of Quebeckers have received a first vaccine dose and Premier Francois Legault wants everyone to get access to a jab by June 24, the province’s national holiday. But walk-in vaccination sites that use AstraZeneca are now struggling to attract patients, local media have reported.

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