Boats, planes, helicopters: Canada gears up to vaccinate remote indigenous communities

FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration//File Photo

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's indigenous communities have been prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine but distributing it across difficult and remote terrain will be a challenge, as authorities deploy small planes and boats to ship the drug.

Canada approved drugmaker Moderna's vaccine on Wednesday, which most indigenous communities are expected to use because it remains stable at 2-8 Celsius (36-46 Farenheit) for 30 days, unlike Pfizer's, which needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius and is only stable for a few days after thawing. [L1N2IW3DI]