No vaccine appointments have been cancelled in Manitoba following news that Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine delivery schedules will be delayed across Canada.
Health Minister Heather Stefanson made that announcement on Friday following confirmation that shipments of the Pfizer BioNTech will be cut in half between Jan. 25 and Feb. 21 while the company takes a pause to upgrade its production facilities in Europe.
As a result, no new appointments in Manitoba will be made during this period of time — but appointments that have already been booked will continue, and second doses will still be administered within the window set out by the manufacturer.
The province says the plan to immunize all residents of personal care homes by Feb. 8 is also unaffected.
The delayed shipment means the second super-site in Brandon will significantly scale back operations shortly after opening on Monday, Jan. 18.
Federal procurement Minister Anita Anand is asking Pfizer-BioNTech to get the vaccine delivery schedule back on track as soon as possible.
As of Saturday night, more than 543,000 Canadians have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
