OTTAWA -- Canada's top public health officers say widespread vaccination of Canadians is the only way to corral COVID-19 and allow life to return to a semblance of its pre-pandemic state.

Dr. Theresa Tam and her deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, are offering that assessment one day after the Trudeau government announced the latest instalment in its plan to pre-buy tens of millions of doses of potential vaccines, signing deals with two American firms.

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Tam and Njoo say the time has come for Canadians to roll up their sleeves and get immunized.

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  • Njoo says it is not clear how what percentage of Canadians need to get a vaccine to achieve broad immunity but he says it is important for as many as possible to get vaccinated.

Njoo says a vaccine could be available sometime in 2021, perhaps as early as the spring.

"Widespread vaccine uptake is the best shot Canadians have of regaining some of what we've lost," said Tam.