Largest vaccine shipment on its way
Canada will be receiving its largest weekly shipment yet of COVID-19 vaccines.
Federal officials say 945-thousand doses are expected to arrive.
That includes half a million doses of the newly-approved AstraZeneca vaccine, which are due to arrive today.
Another 900-thousand vaccine shots will be coming into Canada next week.
No AstraZeneca for seniors
Health Minister Christine Elliott says Ontario won’t be administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to senior citizens, on the advice of the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations.
The committee says there’s not enough evidence that the vaccine will be effecting in people 65 and older.
Canada’s chief public health officer, Doctor Theresa Tam, says the committee’s decision is not final and will evolve as more evidence becomes available.
Ontario is to receive more than 100-thousand doses of the new vaccine this week, however, they expire on April second.
Elliott says they’re still working on a plan to use the vaccine before its expiry date.
Arts gets a boost
The provincial government is spending 25-million dollars to help boost the arts in Ontario.
Heritage Minister Lisa MacLeod says 24-million will be going to 140 arts organizations, while the remaining one million will be allocated to individual artists.
MacLeod says the arts sector was one of the first to be hit by the effects of the pandemic, has been one of the hardest-hit, and will be among those that take the longest to recover.
She says she wants to ensure the arts community has a fighting chance to be “global leaders” once the pandemic is over.
Vaccinations across the border
US President Joe Biden says his country will have enough COVID-19 vaccine for every adult by the end of May.
He’s backing a massive program to manufacture Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, which was approved south of the border last Saturday.
Biden is also ordering that teachers be at the top of the list for inoculations…..challenging the states to have every teacher vaccinated at least once by the end of this month.
A Texas Congressman says, once there are adequate amounts of vaccines to cover all Americans, the U-S should make it a priority to export supplies to Canada and Mexico.
Vicente Gonzalez notes that border closures are hurting trade adding America will only be safe when its neighbours are safe.