Justin Trudeau Says Coronavirus Vaccine Will Be Free For All Canadians

With a coronavirus vaccine hopefully being created in the not-so-distant future, Justin Trudeau has confirmed all Canadian’s will be able to access it for free.

The Canadian PM discussed the matter yesterday, October 7, in Canada’s House of Commons after his opposition Jagmeet Singh asked him about it.

Describing people as ‘worried’ and ‘deeply concerned’ about the ongoing health crisis and their access to a potential vaccine, Singh asked, ‘Once a vaccine is ready, will the Prime Minister commit clearly that that vaccine will be freely available to all Canadians?’

Following a brief applause to the question, Trudeau responded with:

We deeply cherish our universal healthcare system and that means that things like lifesaving vaccines are free for Canadians. We indeed put forward a committee of independent experts to help council the Government on the best way to ensure the vaccines are distributed fairly, equitably and in the right priority way so that Canadians can be as safe as possible.

Trudeau may have promised that the vaccine will be distributed ‘in the right priority way’, but it’s currently unclear who would be classed as high priority to receive it. According to CBC, it has indicated the plan is to ensure the most vulnerable and essential workers have ready access.

While it seems many in Canada would welcome the vaccine, earlier this year it was found that over a quarter of Brits would refuse to take it. The survey conducted by ORB International questioned 2,065 people and found 27% wouldn’t have it. According to the study, millennials were the most cautious of the vaccine with it being largely opposed by those aged between 25-34.

CBC reported that as of yesterday, Canada had 173,123 confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases – arguably a drop in the ocean compared to Britain’s 544,000 cases.

Meanwhile, the USA has seen over seven million confirmed cases, one being President Donald Trump himself. Despite these worrying figures, Trump told people ‘don’t be afraid’ of the virus in a statement following his release from hospital.

A vaccine for the virus is yet to be created but trials for it have been taking place across the globe. Last month, a vaccine created in Russia was dubbed as ‘safe’ by them.

This came after the vaccine, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Research Institute, reportedly caused no major adverse effects and managed to induce antibodies in all participants in two early rounds of testing.

It’s okay to not panic about everything going on in the world right now. LADbible and UNILAD’s aim with our campaign, Cutting Through, is to provide our community with facts and stories from the people who are either qualified to comment or have experienced first-hand the situation we’re facing. For more information from the World Health Organization, click here.