Canada's vaccinations: Trudeau's bragging rights at Merkel's expense - and the sad reality

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These were amazing words Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau uttered.

"I had a wonderful conversation with Angela Merkel yesterday," said the Prime Minister.

Merkel complained in the phone call "to a certain extent that she is criticized every day by the German media, that things are not going as well for them as in Canada," said Trudeau with a view to the start of the corona vaccination campaign.

It is not only remarkable that Trudeau speaks so frankly about a statement allegedly made by the German Chancellor in a confidential telephone conversation.

The whole thing is bizarre, especially because Canada is by no means a country that would be named in Germany or anywhere else as a model for corona vaccination.

Israel or Great Britain are celebrated as front runners - but Canada?

The country is currently still behind the relatively slow Germany in terms of the number of vaccinations per million inhabitants.

And although no country has ordered more vaccination doses than the North American state, the start of vaccination in Canada is considered catastrophic - so catastrophic that Canadians are now even traveling to the USA to be immunized there quickly.

“I wish I were in the US,” says Debra Hernandez.

Your voice on the phone sounds frustrated.

"In Toronto there is still no telling when it will be my turn." It will probably be September.

The 56-year-old US citizen has lived in the Canadian metropolis for many years.

Her sister in Texas, two years older, received her first dose of vaccine last week.

“The Canadian healthcare system is supposed to be so great, but I am very disappointed at the moment,” she says.

“Admittedly, unlike the United States, everyone in Canada has health insurance.

But many of my friends here are now flying to Florida for vaccinations. "

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In fact, the US “Sunshine State” has become a vaccination mecca for Canadians in recent weeks.

While Canadian retirees traveled to Florida in previous winters to escape the cold and soak up the sun, the weather plays only a minor role for them this year: They come to be vaccinated.

Outrage in the US

Since Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis announced that all seniors over 65 would be vaccinated - and explicitly not only including residents from other areas of the US, but also from all parts of the world, Florida has become a magnet for vaccination tourists from Canada.

There is outrage in the American media about a "Canadian vaccination run on Florida".

But Canadians share tips on social networks about where vaccination appointments are particularly unbureaucratic in Florida.

For example, the senior citizens' association “Snowbirds from Quebec in Florida” has now set up its own Facebook group to exchange the addresses of Florida's drive-in vaccination centers and other tips.

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The Canadian private jet airline Momentum Jets, headquartered in Toronto, offers one-day vaccination prices to the USA from 25,000 dollars.

DeSantis countered critics of his vaccination plans for foreign tourists that older visitors would often stay in Florida for months in winter.

Consequently, it is in everyone's interest to also have them vaccinated against Covid-19.

"If I were over 60, I'd be flying to Florida now," says Hernandez.

According to the engineer, many Canadians are on the verge of losing their otherwise so valued patience - especially since the lockdown rules are becoming increasingly strict.

“You shouldn't stay longer than five to ten minutes, even in the supermarket.

People are reacting more and more irritably - now much less politely than their reputation. "

Nobody ordered anymore

Originally nobody had expected that Canada of all places would have such big problems when starting vaccinations.

The country has ordered more vaccines than any other country in relation to its population worldwide - 414 million doses for a population of 33 million teenagers and adults.

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These bulk orders brought Trudeau a lot of criticism internationally in December - whereupon he generously promised to donate surplus materials to developing countries.

But now the question is not where Canada is delivering the surplus, but why the country is starting so much worse than the USA despite the huge orders.

Pfizer-Biontech recently announced that it would be able to deliver up to 80 percent fewer vaccine doses to Canada in the coming weeks.

Over a month after the start of the campaign, just 1.3 percent of the population received a first dose - significantly less than in the neighboring United States, where more than three percent were already vaccinated, more than twice as many people per population.

And also less so than Germany, which started vaccinating later than Canada.

Meanwhile, Canadian hospitals are overcrowded and intensive care units are at the limit of their capacity.

A government spokesman for Trudeau recently called the question of whether and when Canada can sell its vaccine doses to poorer countries "hypothetical".

Alberta stops vaccinations

The Prime Minister of the Canadian province of Alberta, Jason Kenney, spoke clearly at the beginning of the week: "I am extremely disappointed to have to inform you: We will no longer have vaccines from tomorrow." The Covid vaccinations in the Rocky Mountain Province are due the delivery difficulties are suspended until further notice.

Enough vaccine should not be available again until the end of March at the earliest.

In Alberta, after retirement home residents and hospital staff, it would actually have been the turn of residents over 75 as well as Canada's indigenous people - indigenous peoples were particularly hard hit by corona diseases in many places.

But these vaccination plans are now on hold.

Regarding the delivery problems, Trudeau said at a press conference: "Our hands are tied - the problem is unfortunately beyond my control."

Trudeau warned that one could only try to compensate for the unexpected shortage of vaccine doses by means of additional corona measures.

"We have no choice but to restrict ourselves even more," he said.

“This is the only way we have a chance.” By the end of September, however, the second dose will be made available to all Canadians, said the Prime Minister.

His secret remained how he came up with the idea that Angela Merkel could take his country as a role model.