Canada signs deal with Sanofi for 72 million doses COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Canada has secured a fifth deal to buy vaccines, signing an agreement with Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline to buy up to 72-million doses of their experimental vaccine candidate.

Federal Procurement Minister Anita Anand says the only way to ensure Canada will get enough doses of a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available is to bet on multiple horses at the same time.

Canada has now committed a total of one-billion dollars to buy at least 154-million doses of vaccines from five different companies, with Anand announcing a deal with Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline earlier today.

Canada has also joined the international vaccine co-operative known as the COVAX Facility, which links wealthy, low and middle-income countries to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines is not limited just to countries with the money to buy them.