COVID-19 Update for August 31 2020 – 12:15pm
This morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced two new agreements in principle to receive millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines once they are available. He also unveiled funding for a new biomanufacturing facility in Montreal to manufacture vaccines in Canada.
COVID-19 Vaccines
The Government of Canada has signed agreements with Novavax and Johnson & Johnson to reserve millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines currently in development. Canada has also signed previous agreements with Pfizer and Moderna, bringing the total vaccines reserved for Canadians to “at least 88 million doses.” The prime minister said there is the potential to obtain “tens of millions more” doses.
Trudeau also announced funding for a new biomanufacturing facility at the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre in Montreal. The new building will allow the National Research Council of Canada to increase vaccine manufacturing to up to two million doses per month by next year. The federal government will invest $126 million over two years to build this facility and later supply $20 million annually for operational costs. The facility is expected to be up and running by mid-2021.
The full news release can be found here.
We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.
To donate, please click on the organization below:
- Toronto – Food Banks Canada
- Thunder Bay – Food Banks North West
- Hamilton/Niagara – Hamilton Food Share
- Alberta – Hope Mission
Many thanks.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
The Enterprise Team