Health Committee on Feb. 22nd, 2021

[Dr. Supriya Sharma]

I'll start.

You're absolutely right. There's research coming out of Israel that has been interpreted as potentially being information that would talk to transmissibility. The research in Israel was really around viral shedding. What they found was that there was a decrease in viral load in those people, so they would shed less virus, and then the conclusion was that potentially they would be less transmissible. I think that's an interesting hypothesis. We still don't know exactly how that correlates, the amount of the virus you shed or what type of virus it is, or what phase, and how that directly translates to transmissibility.

Whether it's for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, whether it's for Moderna, that has some data around potential decreasing of asymptomatic spread, as well as AstraZeneca that shows in some studies that potentially it's about a 66% decrease in asymptomatic transmission. I think we'll have some data on the vaccines, but for all of them, it's not yet conclusive. Really, the studies have been designed to look at decreasing and preventing serious illness, moderate illness and death. We know that for the vaccines that we have under review and have authorized, they all have very good outcomes there, but again, the transmission and the effect on the transmission is still an ongoing area of research.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you.

Mr. Thériault, you have the floor for one minute.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Thank you.

Dr. Bernstein, the way out of this pandemic is through global vaccination. Ninety-two percent of vaccines are currently administered in rich countries. You said that these rich countries have to accept that 5% to 10% of their vaccine supply should go to less developed countries, those that cannot afford to enter into bilateral agreements with vaccine suppliers.

What do you think about Canada's draw on the COVAX vaccine bank?

[Dr. Alan Bernstein]

Mr. Chair, it's complicated with COVAX. There are two pots of money or two bank accounts within COVAX. One is a donation that countries make, including Canada, to buy a vaccine for the developing world, and the other is for vaccines that they're entitled to withdraw for themselves. I think the important point is—

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

I'm sorry, but there is no interpretation.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Sorry, Doctor—

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Could you start over?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Do we have translation now, monsieur Thériault?

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

I can hear the interpretation now. Please go ahead.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Doctor, please start your question over. I don't think Mr. Thériault got any part of your answer.

[Dr. Alan Bernstein]

Sure.

I think it is important that Canada be a major contributor to both COVAX and other mechanisms for vaccines for the developing world. Until the U.S. came in I think we were the largest contributor per capita to the COVAX facility. But it's in our interest to make sure that everyone in the world is vaccinated as quickly as possible. Dr. Sharma alluded to the variants that inevitably have appeared, and those variants will appear anywhere. The number of variants that appear will be directly proportional to the size of the virus pool in the world. So it's in our interests here in Canada to shrink that virus pool as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that is to vaccinate the whole world as quickly as possible.

I think Canada has a moral as well as a practical reason for donating vaccines to the rest of the world, either through COVAX or through other mechanisms: directly to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, or through the WHO. I think that is very important.

At least on paper, Canada has purchased more vaccines per capita than any other country. If all those vaccines are eventually approved by Health Canada, we will have the opportunity to donate a lot of doses to COVAX or to the developing world directly. I think the important point is that we step up and donate those vaccines to the developing world. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Thériault.

Mr. Davies, please go ahead for one minute—maybe a little more, because everyone else took a little more.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Dr. Bernstein, just following up on that, there's a question of timing, as well, isn't there? Do you think that rich countries should be vaccinating their young and healthy before frontline health care workers and vulnerable people are vaccinated in developing countries?

[Dr. Alan Bernstein]

Right now, the vaccines have not yet been approved for young people here in Canada. Again, I think there is a good argument, both a moral argument and a practical one, that the G7 countries, including Canada, donate vaccines to the developing world initially for frontline health care workers, as you have suggested, Mr. Davies.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you.

Dr. Sharma, at a technical briefing on February 9, you noted that Health Canada's review of the AstraZeneca vaccine was in the final stages and was just awaiting some final “back-and-forth” with the company to finalize the rules for how the vaccine is to be used and on whom.

Considering that the vaccine is already approved in other countries, can you confirm when you expect a decision will be made with respect to the AstraZeneca vaccine in Canada?

[Dr. Supriya Sharma]

As I noted before, that review is ongoing. Certainly we have completed the review of the science and now it is in the final stages. The length of time that takes is dependent on a number of factors: the questions we pose to the company; how long they take to get back to the evaluators with those responses. And so, that dialogue with the company in the finalization of the review is ongoing, and I wanted to highlight again that it's complicated. We know we've got different regulators looking at the same data for AstraZeneca and making different decisions based on the science. That's why this is taking a little longer than the ones we have done before.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, all.

Thank you to the witnesses for sharing your time with us today and for your excellent testimony.

With that, we are now adjourned.