Kenney, Shandro to provide vaccine update Friday at noon

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Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro will provide an update on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Alberta at noon on Friday.

Both Kenney and Shandro have been peppered with questions recently about the next phase of the provinces vaccine rollout plan but neither have provided many specifics. On Wednesday Kenney said they needed more information about vaccine supply and see what other province’s are doing.

After delays in the distribution of vaccines, a recently-released updated schedule from the federal government says that for the week of Feb. 22 to 25 Alberta will receive 54,990 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 14,100 of the Moderna vaccine.

Kenney has previously said Alberta has the ability to give 50,000 doses a week.

The Pfizer numbers are based on the assumption that the province can get six doses per vial. Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw has said getting a sixth dose out of a vial is only achievable about 75 per cent of the time in a best case scenario with the right syringe.

“These types of syringes are currently in short supply globally,” she said at the end of January. “AHS does have a provincial supply of these syringes but more will be needed to immunize all Albertans.”

– With files from Dylan Short