First J&J COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in Canada Wednesday

Canada's first 300,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine are arriving today, a federal official tells The Canadian Press.

The official, granted anonymity to discuss matters not made public yet, said that where the doses are coming from is not being disclosed because the government needs to "protect this new vaccine supply chain."

J&J has struggled with production problems and has been able to deliver very few doses, even in the United States.

Canada purchased 10 million doses, and has the option to buy 28 million more.

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The doses are expected to be distributed to provinces next week.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has not yet provided guidance on how the vaccine should be used alongside the other three in use already.

This week's delivery of just over one million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech is already in Canada.

A delayed shipment of about 650,000 doses from Moderna is also en route to Canada now.

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  This Dec. 2, 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows vials of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine protects against COVID-19, according to an analysis by U.S. regulators Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, that sets the stage for a final decision on a new and easier-to-use shot to help tame the pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration’s scientists confirmed that overall, it's about 66% effective and also said J&J's shot, one that could help speed vaccinations by requiring just one dose instead of two, is safe to use. (Johnson & Johnson via AP)