'Grim situation': Alberta health minister blames Ottawa for vaccine 'standstill'

A shortage of COVID-19 vaccine that left the province unable to administer even one first dose this weekhad Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandrobristling at the federal government Thursday.

"We're ready and we're able to push ahead as fast as the vaccines come, but they're not coming. We were already at a standstill this past week doing no new first doses because of the cut in the supply from Pfizer,"Shandrosaid at a news conference Thursday.

"And that's why I'm so frustrated by the news today, the latest in a series of unfulfilled promises from the federal government. Ottawa continues to fail us and to fail all Albertans."

Earlier this month, the province wastolditsshare of vaccines would be reduced between 20 and 80 per cent over four weeks. Then, Alberta learned it would receive none at all in the last week of January, Shandro said.

The federal government assured the province that itwould still receive the full promised allotment of468,000 doses in the first quarter.

'Grim situation'

NowAlberta is learning that won't happen, he said.

Pfizer has been pushing for recognition that six doses not five can be extracted from each vialif the appropriate extraction syringeis used.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, says it's simplynot possible to get six doses from every vial.

"This is due to many factors including the global shortage of the type of syringes that would be required to more consistently extract this sixth dose," she said Thursday.

Shandrocalled the six-doseissue a distractionand maintained that the real issue is what the federal government is negotiating around supply.

"This is a grim situation that seems to be getting worse every week," Shandrosaid. "We know that life for Canadians will not begin returning to something resembling normal until our most vulnerable are immunized.

"We were already at a standstill this past week doing no new first doses because of the cut in the supply from Pfizer."

Pfizer is making upgrades to its Belgian plant so it can manufacture up to two billion doses this year.

"We know that Albertans want a concrete timeline ...and I want to give it to them," he said. "And I can't do that if every new week brings a smaller amount of vaccines.

"We need real answers, we in Alberta need real action to restore the supply of vaccines."

As of Wednesday, 101,123Albertans had been vaccinated, with about 12,000 of them havingreceived therequired second dose.

Alberta reported 461 new cases Thursday for a total number of active cases at 8,041.

On Thursday, Alberta reported there were 591people in hospital with COVID-19, including 112patients in intensive care. There were 7new deaths, bringing that total to 1,606.

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Hinshawalso remarked on the absence of influenza in the province, noting that measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 have dramatically impacted flu numbers.

"While we'd hoped there would be fewer influenza cases this year, what we have actually seen is that the public health measures put in place in these last 11 months have truly stopped seasonal influenza in its tracks," she said.

Hinshaw said the lack of flu cases this year underscores the differences between it and coronavirusand how dangerous COVID-19is.

"In just 11 months, COVID-19 has taken more lives than 10 years of influenza cases combined," despite the unprecedented measures put in place to fight COVID-19.

"All of which reminds us yet again COVID-19 is unlike any virus that we have faced in Alberta in more than 100 years."

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