Tam says ‘it’s been a good week’ for COVID-19 vaccines as pandemic anniversary nears – National

Canada’s chief public health officer is expressing hope for the future as the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 crisis.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic last March 11, and Dr. Theresa Tam says it’s been a difficult 12 months marked by hardship and sacrifice.

But she says it’s been “a good week” for Canada’s vaccination program thanks to the recent approvals of the Johnson & Johnson and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

Tam says the addition of the two new vaccines will help Canadians get immunized faster and help ease the worries surrounding supply disruptions or setbacks.

The anniversary comes as all provinces are expanding their mass vaccination programs and some are loosening restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the virus.

A stay-at-home order in Ontario’s Toronto, Peel and North Bay regions will lift on Monday, while five Quebec regions will be downgraded from red to orange on the province’s colour-coded regional alert system.