Following a devastating lack of vaccine supply earlier this year and a punishing third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Canada is set to catch up to, and even surpass, the United States in the percentage of people with at least one dose of vaccine this week, according to data projections.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 38 percent of the US population has been fully vaccinated, and nearly 48 percent has received at least one dose. While Canada has only vaccinated less than 4% of those eligible, it has vaccinated more than 46 percent with at least one dose.
Data Visualization of Our World Based on a seven-day average, the Covid-19 vaccination database estimates that Canada is currently administering 40% more doses per 100 people than the US.
Canada has benefited from the drop in vaccine demand in the United States. Pfizer’s Michigan manufacturing facility began shipping more doses to Canada than previously planned earlier this month, as vaccination rates in the United States fell.
Canada has a population of nearly 38 million people, while the United States has a population that is roughly nine times larger.
According to Our World in Data data updated on Tuesday, Canada will likely catch up to the US by the end of the week in terms of the percentage of its population who has received at least one dose.
The prime minister of Canada confirmed that vaccine deliveries, the majority of which will be provided by Pfizer, will continue to increase throughout June.
In the coming days, Canada will set a record for vaccine deliveries, receiving 4.5 million doses in a single week.
“Four and a half million doses is our largest weekly shipment to date, and it will help Canada keep within the top of the G20 on daily vaccinations, where we’ve been for over two weeks,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a news conference in Ottawa.
Trudeau, on the other hand, outlined a more cautious approach with tougher benchmarks for public health measures to be lifted, possibly this fall.
“This fall, once three-quarters of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated, we’ll be able to do more of the indoor things we miss, whether that’s watching sports in person or a dinner party in a restaurant,” said Trudeau.
Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, reported a 25% decrease in active Covid-19 cases in Canada this week, compared to the peak of the third wave in mid-April.
Hospitalizations and ICU admissions related to the virus continue to be common in Canada, particularly in Ontario.
