Canada’s top doctor says talks are underway for more vaccine to curb monkeypox as confirmed cases hit 278 across the country.
Chief public health officer Theresa Tam says there are “ongoing discussions and contract negotiations” to obtain doses from Bavarian Nordic, the Danish maker of a smallpox vaccine approved for use against monkeypox.
She says the current doses come from Canada’s National Strategic Contingency Stockpile for targeted use in high-risk areas.
That includes Quebec, where Tam says more than 7,000 people have received shots, and Ontario, where she says about 5,000 people have been vaccinated.
She says the provinces have the supplies they need for now, but federal officials are watching closely as the regions cut supplies.
It says as of June 29, there were 202 confirmed cases of monkeypox reported from Quebec, 67 from Ontario, five from Alberta and four from British Columbia.
The majority of cases are men between the ages of 20 and 69, and most report intimate sexual contact with other men, although the risk of monkeypox is not exclusive to any group or environment.
Tam stressed that anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, can become infected if they are in close contact with someone who has monkeypox, or if they come into contact with personal items belonging to an infected person, including towels or bedding .
Bavarian Nordic said earlier this month that the Public Health Agency of Canada had agreed to a five-year, $56 million contract to buy their Imvamune vaccine.
Deliveries were expected to begin in 2023.
Tam would not comment on how much remains in Canada’s stockpile, but said the provinces now vaccinating “have what they need.”
“We are having very close bilateral discussions with the provinces in terms of supply as they begin to reduce the supply allocated to their particular jurisdiction,” Tam said on Thursday.
“Of course, discussions and contract negotiations are ongoing with Bavarian Nordic, the manufacturer, to access more.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 30, 2022.
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