Canada to receive two million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses per week through August

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says large shipments of COVID-19 vaccines will continue to pour into Canada through the summer, with more than two million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab expected to arrive each week until the end of August.

Trudeau says that accounts for nine million Pfizer doses in July and another 9.1 million expected in August.

He adds that Canada has also negotiated an option for three million more Pfizer doses to be delivered in September.

Procurement Minister Anita Anand says more than 50 million doses from Pfizer will have been delivered by the end of September.

65% of eligible Canadians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine since the country's rollout began in December.

Trudeau says that's ``encouraging'' news, adding that Canadians have ``reason to be hopeful about this summer and fall.''

Public health officials say COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to trend downward in parts of the country while vaccinations ramp up.