Health Committee on April 16th, 2021

[Dr. Theresa Tam]

Thank you.

I also need to examine the Ontario report, but it was very clearly stated in a sound bite coming from that report that a six-week stay-at-home order along with a vaccination rate of at least 100,000 doses a day is the only way to flatten the curve. Ontario also has the same message, which is that you need both right now.

The United Kingdom has shown—they are ahead of us, of course, so we look to them for data—that despite a very high vaccination rate, they've kept up some very stringent public health measures and are relaxing them very, very cautiously. Israel is another country. We've done a lot of modelling, but we also look at the real-life data. Israel has a high rate of vaccination. The moment they relaxed a little between February and March, they had a resurgence. They had to push back down on the stringent public health measures a bit more, while getting more people vaccinated. That points us towards the kind of strategy we're going to have to have.

That, together with vaccines, is the only way to combat the variants.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Ms. O'Connell.

Mr. Thériault, we now go to you for two and a half minutes.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm going to start with the Public Health Agency of Canada officials.

If I understood Dr. Tam's answers correctly, the basis for the vaccine rollout is to target specific populations.

You've no doubt had discussions about this. When the vaccines arrived, we had a number of hot spots, and one of the biggest was in Quebec. What factors justified the decision to take that approach?

[Iain Stewart]

Theresa, would you like to respond?

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

I hope you stopped the clock, Mr. Chair. It's taking a while to get an answer.

[Dr. Theresa Tam]

The per capita allocation is of course a policy decision made with the provinces and territories together. Partly it is informed by the fact that the highest-risk groups are based on age, so the oldest of our population are among those at highest risk. Even if we look at all the other risk factors, as NACI, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, did, age is still the key, as is being a member of some of our populations most impacted by health inequities. From all of those calculations, it still worked out that a per capita allocation was the way of moving forward for which there was the greatest consensus. However, I think now that a number of the provinces—Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and others—are targeting hot spots, it is important to have a look at that data and see what that different strategy might do.

Yes, these are some of the areas of technical analysis that need to take place.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

My understanding from your answers is this: as long as the virus has not been eradicated globally and everyone has not been vaccinated, thereby establishing herd immunity, the most effective way to curb the spread of the virus is still through the individual health measures.

When people, knowing that there is a vaccine, let their guard down and stop following the public health measures, we see surges and quicker spread. Is that right?

[Dr. Theresa Tam]

Right now, that's a very important message. No matter whether you've received one dose or two doses, in the midst of a third wave it is very important that we protect ourselves through all those layers of public health measures. Locally, public health will look at how they may apply other community-based public health measures to help plank that curve.

As the vaccine uptake increases, though, I think we will find it much easier to manage any of those outbreaks and surges. That layer of protection will increase over time and that will be really helpful.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ron McKinnon]

Thank you, Mr. Thériault.

We'll go now to Mr. Davies.

Mr. Davies, go ahead for two and a half minutes, please.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you.

Minister Anand, as you are aware, both this committee and the House have ordered production of the vaccine contracts. Have you sent the unredacted vaccine contracts to the law clerk yet?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

After my committee appearance and with the number of concerns that have been raised relating to wanting to see those contracts, I made sure to go back to our contracts and look at them to—

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Minister, it's a simple question. Have you sent them or not? I have two and a half minutes. It's a yes or no. Did you send them?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

My apologies. I have not yet.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you.

Two days ago, you told the Standing Committee on Government Operations that the government has committed to spending up to $8 billion on vaccine contracts.

What is the price per dose that Canada is paying for vaccines—or what is the range?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

The envelope is $8 billion and the price per dose is covered by the confidentiality clauses in our agreements, as I have previously stated at this committee.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

You can selectively tell us the total amount of money we're paying, but you can't tell us details about it.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

It's an interesting viewpoint, but incorrect. I am simply citing the $8-billion envelope figure that Treasury Board already released to committee.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I see. That's fair enough.

Do we pay a premium, Minister, when we have to get extra doses, like the Pfizer doses we just ordered?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

No, we do not.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Okay, thank you.

Dr. Tam, what is Canada's national R0 number right now?

[Dr. Theresa Tam]

It's about 1.1 to 1.2. It's definitely above one, which means the epidemic is growing. In certain areas it's even higher than that.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Stewart, when you appeared before this committee on March 12, I asked you to confirm the maximum number of vaccination doses per week that we can administer in Canada nationally. You undertook to provide this committee with that information. It's now been five weeks and we haven't received it. Are you prepared to table those numbers with us today?

[Iain Stewart]

Mr. Chair, my apologies for that. We will follow up on that number and provide that.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Thank you.

Dr. Tam, are we preparing right now for a fourth wave in Canada?

[Dr. Theresa Tam]

We should always prepare ahead of time, but there is a way to prevent that. We all know what needs to happen, which is to drive the third wave all the way down.

Let's just say that until the majority of Canadians are vaccinated and reinforced with that second dose, any rapid relaxation of public health measures can definitely lead to a resurgence.