UPDATE: Health Minister Christine Elliott's office has sent the following statment to NEWSTALK1010:
"The Ontario government is working with the federal government and other provincial and territorial partners to plan for the delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available.
Based on early conversations with the federal government, and using a per capita model, Ontario is expecting to receive 1.6 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and 800,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine between January and March.
While a vaccine is still months away, there is light at the end of the tunnel."
ORIGINAL: During Question Period on Wednesday, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said she anticipates the province will receive more than two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the New Year.
Just hours later on CTV's Power Play with Evan Solomon, Canada's parliamentary secretary to the Health Ministry says he's not sure where those numbers came from.
"I'm not aware of where she got her numbers, I'm not sure what provinces have for possible numbers that might come forward, depending on which contract yields a successful and approved by Health Canada that is safe for Canadians vaccine," MP Darren Fisher told Power Play.
Fisher adds that Canada does not have an approved vaccine yet, and although things are looking optimistic about having one by early- to mid-2021, he says it's crucial that medical experts are the ones to roll the immunizations out.
"You don't want politicians doing the rollout, you want science and evidence-based rollouts," Fisher said. "We are doing the work and we are looking at every possibility for a successful rollout to ensure we can get Canadians vaccinated."
Elliott said yesterday that between January and March, the province expects to receive 1.6 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, and 800,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Canada has secured 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and at least 20 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The biggest difference between the two vaccines is how they are stored. Pfizer's vaccines have to be kept in temperatures of -70 C.
Final results from Pfizer's trials indicates an efficacy rate of 95 per cent, while Moderna's preliminary results are about the same.