$1.1 billion announced for COVID vaccine research, clinical trials and testing

The federal government has announced 1.1 billion dollars for a national medical and research strategy to address COVID-19.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the plan has three parts: research on vaccines and other treatments, supports for clinical trials, and expanding national testing and modelling.

$115 million will go into research into vaccines, $662 million for clinical trials, and $350 million to expand national testing and modelling.

That will include creating a COVID-19 immunity task force led by a leadership group of doctors including chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam.

“They’ll be looking at key questions, like how many people beyond what we’ve already tested have had COVID-19, whether you’re immune once you’ve had it, and if so, how long that lasts,” explained Trudeau.

Trudeau said 20,000 tests for COVID are being done daily in Canada, almost double earlier this month, but it must increase before we can resume our normal activities.

The P-M also talked about what he called the unacceptable number of COVID deaths in long term care homes, and said we need to do better.

“If you’re angry, frustrated, scared; you’re right to feel this way. We can do better, we need to do better because we are failing our parents, our grandparents, our elders, the greatest generation that built this country.”

He said the military will be helping out at care homes in Quebec and Ontario, but added that is not a long term solution to what he called a “terrible situation.”

“In Canada, we shouldn’t have soldiers taking care of seniors, said Trudeau.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault said a big concern is finding health-care personnel as 9,500 staff are off the job due to illness or other reasons.

He’s asking all workers who are not in quarantine and able to return to work to do so.