'It's a landmark': 1st doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrive in St. John's, 1 new case announced
'In that plane represents hope for 2021,' says Premier Andrew Furey
They were wearing masks, but it was easy to see the smiles from Premier Andrew Furey and Health Minister John Haggie, wearing matching neon yellow jackets with reflector tape, as they were on hand to see the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday morning.
"Finally! It's been a long time," said Haggie as he watched the doses being unloaded at the St. John's International Airport.
The two walked to the plane where the container containing the vaccine was moved out of the plane on a conveyor belt.
"In that plane represents hope for 2021," said Furey, in a video posted to the premier's Twitter account.
"It's a landmark.… A lot of people have waited a long time for this," said Haggie.
Honoured to witness the historic moment of the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador this morning with Health Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/Johnrockdoc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Johnrockdoc</a>. This is an exciting day for our province, as we implement our government’s COVID-19 vaccination program. <a href="https://t.co/IGQ69r2nbs">pic.twitter.com/IGQ69r2nbs</a>
—@FureyAndrewFurey said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will begin to be administered Wednesday. The province received 1,950 doses, which means 975 people will get the vaccine for now.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at ultra-low temperatures in a specially designed freezer. The province has two of those freezers, with two more on order, but the first shipments are restricted by the manufacturer to be given out from the arrival point — the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's.
Furey, Haggie and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald have scheduled a technical briefing Wednesday morning for reporters to outline the details of N.L.'s vaccination plan.
1 new case of COVID-19
On the heels of Tuesday's momentous delivery, the province also announced one new case of COVID-19.
The case is a male between the ages of 20 and 39 in the Eastern Health region. His illness is travel-related, according to a release from the Department of Health. The man is not a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador, and came to the province from Europe for work.
The province now has 20 active cases of COVID-19, according to the Health Department, with three recoveries since Monday's update.
No one is in hospital due to the virus, the department said, and to date, 67,745 people have been tested. The total number of cases in the province since March is 359.
2nd vaccine nears Health Canada approval
The arrival of the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to N.L. happened just a couple of hours before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at a news conference that the promising COVID-19 vaccine candidate from Massachusetts-based Moderna will be available in Canada by the end of the month, if the shot secures the necessary regulatory approvals.
Health Canada regulators are in the final stages of the review process for this vaccine. A final decision on authorization could come as early as this week.
If it's approved, Trudeau said, Canada will receive up to 168,000 doses of the two-dose Moderna vaccine before the end of December. Trudeau said deliveries are slated to begin within 48 hours of Health Canada's authorization.
Haggie said Monday the Moderna vaccine is "much more stable," meaning it can survive outside ultra-low temperatures, unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
If or when that is approved, it would be a "real boon" for rural and isolated communities, since its 30-day life outside of the ultra-low freezer would make it easier to move and store.
"My planning team, the vaccination team here, haven't finalized the arrangements yet, but the vibe I'm getting from them is that that will be the one that, when it comes, which will go to the rural and isolated and Indigenous communities first," Haggie said.
As for a rollout timeline across the province, Fitzgerald continued to temper expectations Tuesday morning.
"We'll be vaccinating well into the year," Fitzgerald said. "It'll probably be later, likely in the fall, before we come close to having significant numbers of the population vaccinated."
Many provinces and cities across the world have allowed media access to the first inoculations. Media in this province have repeatedly requested it, and Furey and Haggie said they are mulling the request.
"If this increases the public willingness to be vaccinated, dispels myths and settles fears … then that's certainly things we're considering," said Furey.
Isolation for returning students
As the winter holidays near, Fitzgerald also reiterated the rules for post-secondary students returning to Newfoundland and Labrador after exams.
Any student returning from out of province must isolate for 14 days. "You need to be in a separate area of the house," she said. "You wouldn't be sharing common spaces with other members of your household."
That ideally means use of a private bedroom and bathroom, and no sneaking into the kitchen for snacks — meals would need to be delivered to the student's bedroom door.
Bathrooms used by other household members would need to be sanitized between uses. But if there's not enough room in the residence for separation, the entire household would need to isolate for two weeks, Fitzgerald said.
"If people are following guidance and doing what they can, the risk [of transmission] will be low," she said.
With files from Stephanie Kinsella and CBC Newfoundland Morning