O’Toole criticizes move to four-month vaccine waiting period

Should people be waiting four months between COVID-19 vaccine doses?

Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole thinks it’s far too early to tell.

He touched on the topic in an interview on The Roy Green Show on Sunday.

At the beginning of March, Saskatchewan extended the waiting period from three weeks to four months at the advice of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and B.C. also made the same call.

However, O’Toole pointed out that Pfizer still recommends waiting only three weeks.

“Can you imagine? (Governments) are changing the recommended use of this vaccine, approved by Health Canada, and they didn’t even consult the creator or manufacturer … Some of the leading (immunologists) in Toronto are saying that this is improper. It’s actually turning into off-label usage of a drug, a drug that is a new drug to begin with,” he said.

He believes it’s a possibility the federal government tried to influence NACI’s recommendation.

“We think the prime minister (Justin Trudeau) has to be transparent with people. Was this pushed on (NACI) because of the lack of supply? We have heard from officials that it was,” he continued.

As for the motive, O’Toole thinks it’s purely political.

“The reason why they’re making this massive extension to the dosing period is because we don’t have sufficient supply,” he said.

“This is turning it into Mr. Trudeau trying to politicize the vaccine process while he’s posturing for an election.”