This leaves Canadians with no available COVID-19 vaccines until October.
Amid a significant summer COVID-19 wave, the Ontario government is withdrawing and destroying remaining supplies of existing COVID vaccines while Health Canada continues to review new ones, according to Ontario health officials. Ontario health officials say all provinces were directed to withdraw and destroy remaining XBB COVID vaccines by Health Canada.
Or is something else going on?
The move is the result of a contractual agreement between Health Canada and vaccine manufacturers, according to government sources. New, updated vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna cannot be distributed until the remaining supply of older vaccines is withdrawn and destroyed, Ontarioβs Ministry of Health says. The new vaccines offer better protection against the COVID-19 strains currently circulating than the previous vaccines.
