Canada to donate 10 million J&J vaccine doses to developing countries

Initially facing a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, Canada has now vaccinated a greater share of its population than the U.S.

Now, the country is planning on donating 10 million doses to low- and middle-income countries via the COVAX initiative, a global program that aims to distribute vaccines in developing nations.

The country had faced controversy earlier this year for tapping into a supply of vaccines initially set aside for COVAX.

The Africa Center for Disease Control (AfricaCDC) recently announced that it had chosen the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has the advantage of having straightforward storage requirements and is available as a single dose.

To date, Canada has committed 40 million doses to the COVAX program and additional financial support for the initiative.

In June, Canada rejected some 300,000 doses of U.S.-made Janssen vaccine over potential contamination problems.