Globe editorial: This is how close Canada is to ending the pandemic

Over the next three weeks, Canada is to receive 8.7 million doses of Moderna, 7.2 million doses of Pfizer and one million shots of Astrazeneca.

To hit an ambitious target of vaccinating 90 per cent of people aged 12 and over, this country needs roughly 60 million shots.

By our count, Canada will have received 48.5 million doses by the end of June, and at least 57.6 million by the end of July.

Let’s start with the relatively lesser challenge: Getting second shots into more than 20 million arms.

In Ontario on Monday, when appointments for second shots were made widely available through the provincial booking system, there were widespread complaints of people unable to find one, or being told to visit a vaccination centre an hour’s drive away.

And even as Canada pivots to second shots, our first-shot tally continues rising at a faster pace than that of the U.S.

In Yukon, more than 80 per cent of residents aged 12 or over have at least a first shot.

Among Quebeckers over 60, the rate is 91 per cent.

In Toronto, for example, while nearly 83 per cent of residents aged 18 to 24 have chased down their first shot, the rate among those over the age of 80 is stuck at 75 per cent.

Saskatchewan and Alberta are higher, but still shy of 70 per cent of eligible people vaccinated.

In Fort McMurray, 51 per cent of people have received a shot, but that drops to 35 per cent in the rest of the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo.

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This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff.