By Canadian Press

‘It’s been a good week’: Tam hopeful on vaccines as pandemic anniversary nears

Mar 7, 2021 | 12:07 PM

Canada’s chief public health officer is expressing hope for the future as the world prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 crisis.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic last March 11, and Dr. Theresa Tam says it’s been a difficult 12 months marked by hardship and sacrifice.

But she says it’s been “a good week” for Canada’s vaccination program thanks to the recent approvals of the Johnson & Johnson and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

Tam says the addition of the two new vaccines will help Canadians get immunized faster and help ease the worries surrounding supply disruptions or setbacks.

The anniversary comes as all provinces are expanding their mass vaccination programs and some are loosening restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the virus.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March. 7, 2021

The Canadian Press