Canada on track to start coronavirus vaccine delivery by January 2021

The Canadian government is targeting January as the starting point for COVID-19 vaccine delivery throughout the country, Canada's Vaccine Distribution Czar Major General Dany Fortin said during a press conference.

"We are hard at it ... so that we are certain to be ready when [the vaccine] comes in January," Fortin told reporters on Thursday.

Last week, the government installed Fortin as Vice President for Logistics and Operations at the Public Health Agency of Canada. He said government tapped the military in spring to help with the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Fortin explained the military would perform a "dry run" of the plan on December 7, have provincial distribution points set up by December 14 and hopes to be fully prepared before December 25.

The federal government will contract private logistics firms to help with the delivery, with contracts to be awarded by December 15, he added.

To date, the Canadian government has linked agreements with seven biotechnology companies to procure their vaccines should they proceed to the production phase.

As of Tuesday, Canadian authorities have reported more than 390,000 coronavirus cases and more than 12,300 virus-related fatalities.