User:Nsophiay/COVID-19 vaccination in Quebec



The COVID-19 vaccination programme in Quebec is an ongoing provincial effort to distribute and administer the vaccine against COVID-19.

Timeline
In autumn of 2020, logistical preparations for the rollout of the vaccine began to be conceived. Since Quebec would be receiving vaccine doses from the federal government, the Quebec government began to study several scenarios based on the quantity and type of vaccine received. The city of Montreal, in particular, set to work on creating its own plan and administrative structures for the vaccination campaign in late November 2020.

At the end of November 2020, the director of the Quebec vaccination campaign against COVID-19 was chosen: Jérôme Gagnon, an assistant deputy minister. After undergoing health problems, he was replaced two weeks later by Daniel Paré, CEO of the Chaudière-Appalaches Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux.

In early December, in addition to health professionals who are already authorized to administer vaccines, the Quebec government added new categories of people who can help administer the vaccine:


 * 1) Students in programs that lead to a diploma in which they would be authorized to administer vaccines;
 * 2) Paramedics and students training to be a paramedic;
 * 3) Holders of a medical degree from outside Canada;
 * 4) Professionals in physical health who may participate after some training, including acupuncturists, audiologists, chiropractors, etc.

On December 13, 2020, not even a week after its approval by Health Canada, the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines arrived in Canada at Mirabel airport. Vaccination in Quebec started the next day, on December 14, with Gisèle Levesque, an 89-year-old resident of a long-term care home in Quebec City, being the first in the province and country to receive a vaccine. Premier François Legault indicated that by January 4, 2021, Quebec would receive 55,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

On December 23, Health Canada approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and Quebec began to receive doses on December 30. Due to its lower maintenance requirements, the Moderna vaccine would be prioritized for use in remote regions.

In the last week of January, Quebec did not receive any vaccine doses, as Pfizer had temporarily stopped deliveries to Canada while its factory was being retooled.

On February 23, Premier Legault announced that vaccine reservations would become available on February 25 by phone or online for Quebecers aged 85 and older.

On March 1, vaccination of the general population began, starting with people 80 years of age or older in Montreal. The next day, Minister Dubé confirmed that 350 pharmacies in Montreal will begin taking appointments for vaccinations on March 15. The Director of the Vaccination Campaign Against COVID-19 in Quebec (directeur de la campagne de vaccination contre la COVID-19 au Québec), Daniel Paré, revealed that since February 25, there had been over 350,000 vaccination reservations made online.

On March 10, vaccination appointments became available province-wide for Quebecers 70 years of age and older.

On March 16, Premier Legault promised that by June 24, all Quebecers who wish to be vaccinated will have at least their first dose.

On April 8, vaccination appointments became available province-wide for Quebecers 60 years of age and older.

By March 18, over 10% of the Quebec population had received at least one dose; a little under a month later, on April 14, 25% of Quebecers had received at least one dose.

Number of doses
The Quebec government initially received criticism for its first-dose priority system, which would allow for the greatest number of people to receive a first-dose but which would delay administration of a second-dose to months after the first, as opposed to the three weeks recommended by Pfizer. Supriya Sharma, Canada's Chief Medical Advisor to the Deputy Minister, stated that Quebec's calculations were done in a superficial manner and that this decision could have an effect on the delivery schedule for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Indeed, on January 11, 2021, Premier Legault suggested that Pfizer might stop delivering vaccines to Quebec if the province does not comply with the recommended schedule. However, he affirmed that if such a situation arose, Quebec would modify their strategy to adhere to the recommended schedule.

In March, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization modified its recommendations, confirming that the second dose can be administered up to four months after the first, prompting other provinces, including British Columbia and Ontario, to start following the same schedule. Given the recommendations, CHSLD residents and staff, who had begun to receive vaccinations in December of 2020, received their second doses in early March 2021. Additionally, while first doses are being administered to the general population, healthcare workers and populations at risk will be receiving their second doses.

Official government categories
In November 2020, the INSPQ's Comité sur l’immunisation du Québec (CIQ) was asked to come up with a preliminary evaluation of which groups should be prioritized for vaccination. Given the limited availability of vaccines, the CIQ based their evaluation on five values:
 * 1) Beneficence
 * 2) Equity
 * 3) Justice
 * 4) Reciprocity
 * 5) Non-maleficence

Based on these values, they proposed the following priority groups, in order of highest priority to lowest:
 * 1) Vulnerable people and people with a significant loss of autonomy who live in residential and long-term care centres (CHSLDs) or in intermediate and family-type resources (RI‑RTFs).
 * 2) Workers in the health and social services network who have contact with users.
 * 3) Autonomous or semi-autonomous people who live in private seniors' homes (RPAs) or in certain closed residential facilities for older adults.
 * 4) Isolated and remote communities.
 * 5) People 80 years of age or older.
 * 6) People 70 to 79 years of age.
 * 7) People 60 to 69 years of age.
 * 8) Adults under 60 years of age who have a chronic disease or health problem that increases the risk of complications of COVID‑19.
 * 9) Adults under 60 years of age who do not have a chronic disease or health problem that increases the risk of complications, but who provide essential services and have contact with users.
 * 10) The rest of the adult population.

The following two categories still need further vaccine trial data before a decision can be made:
 * 1) Children.
 * 2) Pregnant women.

Vaccination against COVID-19 is not mandatory in Quebec and the vaccines are free of charge for those who choose to take it.

Other categories
According to some experts, Indigenous Canadians and prisoners should be considered as priority groups.

Daily doses

 * Source: Fichier CSV sur le site de l'INSPQ récupéré en date du 2021-04-11.

Total doses

 * Source: Fichier CSV sur le site de l'INSPQ récupéré en date du 2021-04-11.

Percentage of the population vaccinated

 * Source: Fichier CSV sur le site de l'INSPQ récupéré en date du 2021-04-11.