The tension over how the federal government’s handling of the Yukon’s vaccine supply is ratcheting up.

At Thursday morning’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, both Premier Sandy Silver and Dr. Brendan Hanley, the chief medical officer of health, expressed dissatisfaction and frustration over the cutbacks to the Moderna vaccine supplies allocated to the Yukon.

The Moderna company has cut back on the supply of its vaccine due to what it calls production problems. That’s essentially caused a world-wide reduction of 20 per cent in doses for at least this month.

Doses for the vaccine, though, have been reduced by 37 per cent.

Neither man was happy with the math discrepancy, which they said they couldn’t explain.

“I don’t agree with the math,” Silver said bluntly. “I’ll continue to work to get shipments expedited.”

Silver added he still hopes to get the shipments of the vaccine “front-loaded”.

That’s something he has been talking about since before Christmas with little result.

Two weeks ago, Silver said he was “absolutely confident” the shipments would continue in a consistent manner.

Now, the shipments at least for February will be reduced – and the March numbers remain uncertain.

“I’d love to know about the March numbers,” he said.

When he was questioned about whether the government has a backup plan to deal with more supply restrictions, Silver said, “I don’t deal with speculation.”

The supply problems have had an immediate effect on the vaccine rollout in the Yukon.

Hanley and Silver said the general public clinic scheduled to open in Whitehorse on Feb. 10 has been delayed indefinitely until the vaccine supply situation is clarified.

In the meantime, the government will now focus on making sure everyone who has received their first inoculation by the end of this week (Feb. 6) receives their second dose on time.

“We have enough vaccine to “put one in the arm and have one in the freezer,” Silver said. “It’s a temporary setback.”

Hanley spoke with some eloquence on the issue. He said he was disappointed with the need to change plans, and recognizes many people in Whitehorse will be as well.

He said he was looking forward to getting his one inoculation next week, which will now have to wait for an undetermined time.

“It’s a setback, a bump in the road,” he said. “It’s a new year with tough surprises.”

(Silver received his vaccine late last month in Dawson City.)

Hanley remains confident that vaccines will lead the way out of the pandemic here in the Yukon.

He also acknowledged the supply chain difficulties mean the government will not be able to meet its target of having 75 per cent of willing adults vaccinated by the end of March.

It’s been three weeks since any active cases have been recorded in the territory, which is great news, Silver and Hanley said.

As has been their habit, though, they continued to stress there is no opportunity to relax any of the restrictive health measures. Both men expressed some concern with the COVID-19 variants that are popping up around the world.

Hanley emphatically reiterated the virus is not eradicated in the Yukon, despite the dearth of cases.

Public health officials generally point to the 28-day mark without a case as the measuring point for functional eradication of a disease such as COVID-19. Even with the Yukon approaching that benchmark, Hanley refused to entertain the notion.

“We haven’t eradicated it,” he said. “I don’t think we ever will. COVID is hidden but present.”

He pointed to outbreaks in northern British Columbia as a reason to be careful.

“So long as there is COVID in the globe, we can’t say it’s been eradicated. I think it will become a disease that’s always with us.”

Added Silver: “We have no false sense of security. We’re still in the grips of a global pandemic.”

The online and telephone booking system for people wanting to schedule an appointment to receive their second dose will open next week, Silver said.

Currently, the system is not allowing more first appointments to be booked past the end of this week.

Two more charges under the Civil Emergency Measures Act have been laid in the last week.

One was for failing to self-isolate as required, while the second was for refusing to wear a mask.

As of Wednesday, there have been 9,931 doses of the Moderna vaccine administered in the Yukon.