Coronavirus: Federal Public Health Agency does not know how many Canadians have been vaccinated abroad

Ottawa-The Federal Public Health Service says it doesn’t know how many Canadians have been vaccinated with COVID-19 in other countries, as they are being asked to vaccinate as much as possible in Canada’s population. I will.

In addition to many Canadians currently living abroad, some Canadians choose to travel to another country to receive the COVID-19 vaccine sooner than at home, but the lack of this data According to critics, there is no complete picture of Canada’s overall vaccination.

CTVNews.ca has informed the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) whether the federal government is tracking the number of Canadians vaccinated with COVID-19 in other countries, and that data provides the federal information. I asked a series of questions about whether or not I was there. The government’s goal is to fully vaccinate all voluntary and qualified Canadians by the end of September.

In response, PHAC spokesperson Tammy Jarbeau said in a statement that vaccines received by Canadians in other countries “vaccinated individuals voluntarily contact public health authorities in their state or area of ​​residence. Obtained by state and local vaccination registries only if you submit a vaccination certificate. “

Jarbeau further stated that the PHAC data is based on state and territory databases, so “authorities cannot track” vaccines obtained by Canadians in the United States or other countries.

In an interview with CTVNews.ca, NDPMP and health critic Don Davies said the situation, given that Canada was in its second year of the COVID-19 pandemic and could not find a solution that “very closes this”. I called it “shocking”. An “important hole” in public health data.

Quote March 2021 General Report of Auditors Among other shortcomings within the PHAC in the early months of the pandemic, noting inadequate cooperation and data sharing between the federal and state governments, Davis knows who was vaccinated in other countries. “I don’t understand” that there isn’t.

“Getting it now is very important. Trying to get it later is like trying to get the toothpaste back into the tube. You’ll never get it all back,” he said.

As reported over the past few months, some Canadians are traveling to the United States to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Stay as Snowbirds during the winterOr as some people have It is called “vaccine tourism”.

Davis suggested that the federal government begin asking Canadians returning from abroad whether they had been vaccinated abroad with the COVID-19 vaccine and provide that information directly to the PHAC.

“How can the federal government get people to cross that border? [have people] Would you like to disclose it to the state and request information from the state later? I don’t know what’s wrong, its surprising inefficiency, or sloppy public health insufficiency, “Davis said.

According to the Canadian Expat Association, the number of Canadians currently living or working outside Canada is unknown, with a total of about 2.8 million Canadians pegging, according to the latest statistics.

Understanding the overall degree of herd immunity in the country can also be affected if the number of Canadian citizens who have been partially or completely vaccinated in other countries but have since returned to Canada is unknown. ..

For example, PHAC previously fixed overall immunization rates at times when public health measures could begin to be lifted.So Part of modeling on April 23Dr. Teresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer, lifted restrictions without maximizing hospital capacity when 75% of adults received the first dose and 20% received the second dose. I predicted that I could do it.

In addition to the financial debate of announcing the resumption, Davis will find it helpful to know who was vaccinated, what type of vaccine was given, and if there was a problem, in what batch. He said there were also regional epidemiological reasons. From.

Conservative Parliamentarian and health critic Michelle Lempel Garner said the federal government plans to issue some form of standardized vaccination proof to allow Canadians to travel abroad in the future. He said it could complicate things.

“I think there are some challenges due to the overall lack of ability to track and prove vaccinations for Canadians,” she said in an interview with CTV News.ca.

Rempel Garner said he answered questions from people about what would happen if they received one shot in one country and how to receive a second shot elsewhere.

“All parliamentarians have been asked about this, especially by snowbirds and people who have traveled abroad for a period of time and have obtained vaccines in other countries. The federal government needs to respond. “Lempelgarner said

CTVNews.ca is seeking comment from Health Minister Patty Haidu’s office for more information on the government’s plan to determine the number of Canadians vaccinated with COVID-19 in other countries.

To date, approximately 15 million people across Canada have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 1.2 million people are fully vaccinated.