Mr. Speaker, perhaps someone could ask me that excellent question.
I stand behind this government's solid approach to managing this H1N1 outbreak and to our comprehensive, forward-looking pandemic plan.
Tonight, I will focus my remarks on vaccine timing and availability.
I can think of no more eloquent a response for those who have expressed doubt to our capacity to manage the outbreak and to note the facts. To date, six million doses of adjuvanted H1N1 flu vaccine have been delivered to the provinces and territories. That is currently more H1N1 flu vaccine per capita than any other country in the world, more than the United States, Great Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, or anywhere else.
More to the point, we have ordered enough H1N1 flu vaccine for every Canadian from coast to coast to coast who needs and wants to be immunized. No one will be left behind. And, yes, that H1N1 flu vaccine, a safe and effective vaccine, will be available to Canadians in a timely way.
We have not cut corners on safety in order to rush product to Canadians. We have acted in a responsible and deliberate way that balances the need to ensure a safe and effective vaccine is available and the need to stay ahead of the outbreak. That is a tough balancing act, but I believe we have the balance right.
Last week witnessed the beginning of the largest mass immunization campaign in Canadian history. That campaign, slated to start in early November, actually began ahead of schedule, on October 26.
We moved more quickly because our early warning systems told us the nature and pace of the second wave of the outbreak had changed.
We moved more quickly because we could draw on the knowledge, expertise and experience of an extensive global network of regulatory agencies and public health experts to assess H1N1 flu vaccine safety and the effectiveness across different populations.
We moved more quickly because our regulator and our vaccine manufacturer had worked closely together to define both the expectations and the process to be followed to approve a vaccine for a novel influence of flu virus, but in advance of this outbreak so we can move more quickly if the situation required this.
We moved more quickly because the context had changed and the health and safety of Canadians was at risk.
Because we knew it would be impossible to vaccinate everyone at one time, the Government of Canada in co-operation with the provinces and territories jointly determined sequencing guidelines for the distribution of H1N1 flu vaccine. This was done to ensure that vaccine programs could target priority groups first, allowing those who need the vaccine most to get it first.
As per the agreed upon guidance, these priority groups are: people under the age 65 with chronic conditions; pregnant women; children six months to less than five years of age; people living in remote and isolated settings or communities; health care workers involved in pandemic response or the delivery of essential health care services; and household contacts and care providers of persons at high risk who cannot be immunized or may not respond to vaccines.
I want to assure members that the Government of Canada, along with the provinces and territories, has been working diligently to distribute and administer the H1N1 flu vaccine as quickly, safely and broadly as we possibly can.
The Government of Canada provides important technical information, guidance and the real time support provinces and territories need to make informed decisions about when, how and to whom to administer the H1N1 vaccine.
Provinces and territories, which have the lead responsibility for administering the vaccine, rely on this extraordinary partnership to make clear and consistent information available to health professionals and ordinary citizens. We are moving forward together.
Canada's vaccine supplier, GSK, has informed us that the vaccine supply being shipped across Canada will be lower next week. In order to meet our request to produce a supply of unadjuvanted vaccine for pregnant women, the company had to switch over its vaccine production fill line.
Without getting overly technical, the formulation for unadjuvanted vaccine differs slightly from that for adjuvanted vaccine and the vial size is also different.
Switching production from one vaccine to another and then re-calibrating fill-lines and retesting output for quality takes about three to four days. That resulted in reduced vaccine availability for November 2. However, normal vaccine production has already resumed and our output should return to normal by next week.
As some who is not a member of a high risk group, it is without hesitation I would prefer to wait a few extra weeks to ensure that pregnant women are protected. It is also important to note that every batch of vaccine is quality tested before it is shipped to the provinces and territories. Lots that do not meet the quality standards are not released, which can have an impact on the weekly number of doses distributed.
The Government of Canada has been in constant touch with GSK and the provinces and territories and is sharing information with the provinces and territories on each week's supply of vaccine as soon as it is available.
There has been constant communication both at the working level and at the senior management level to share information on both availability and possible delays. We are working together with one goal in mind, to protect the health and safety of Canadians.
Indeed, by the end of last week, six million doses of vaccine had been delivered. That is more vaccine per capita than any other country in the world.
I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for the many health care workers working at clinics. These are very challenging and unique circumstances they are working under. Jurisdictions are giving more vaccine per day than they have ever given in history. I am very pleased to see many thousands of Canadians on the priority list getting their vaccines.
It is important to take a global perspective. Diseases do not respect borders. This is a worldwide pandemic. Many countries around the world are beginning their vaccine campaigns and each are facing different challenges in getting their populations vaccinated. However, it is important to remember that Canada is in the very fortunate position and we remain hopeful to have every Canadian who needs and wants to be vaccinated by Christmas.
Scientific studies show that the vaccine is safe and effective. We know that from clinical trials conducted in several countries around the world.
The H1N1 flu vaccine is produced in a similar manner to seasonal flu vaccines, which have been used safety and effectively in Canada for many years. The vaccine contains an adjuvant, which is an ingredient made of naturally occurring oil, water and vitamin E that boosts the body's immune response and increases the vaccine effectiveness. The same adjuvant was tested in 45,000 people and did not identify any safety concerns for healthy adults or children.
Now that immunization has begun, the Public Health Agency of Canada will work with provinces and territories to produce weekly reports of all reported adverse events associated with the H1N1 vaccine. This reporting will be done through the existing system, the Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System. This system is supported by health care professionals who report adverse events to their provincial-territorial public health offices, which share the information with the agency. This existing system will be supported by additional projects that will provide more detailed data specifically about the H1N1 flu vaccine.
The Government of Canada will continue to work with its provincial and territorial partners to ensure that all Canadians have the information they need to make informed decisions about immunization. Most important, we have stayed on message to get the vaccine.
Unlike in the era of our grandparents, we are truly fortunate to live in a time when we have a capacity to mount a quick and robust response to emerging viruses.
