Canada is confident there will be no disruption of COVID-19 vaccine supplies even if the United States blocks their export, because vaccines are not manufactured just in one country, a minister said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday to ensure that priority access for domestically produced coronavirus vaccines is given to Americans first before assisting other countries.

That raised questions about the availability of the vaccines being jointly developed by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BionNTech SE, first in line for regulatory approval in Canada.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced Monday that Pfizer and BioNTech will deliver the first doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to Canada this month, with inoculations to start as early as next week.

Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Canadian intergovernmental affairs, said they are confident Pfizer and other companies obligated to deliver the first vaccine doses to Canada will be able to meet those obligations.

He said Canada's purchases are not tied to any one manufacturing site, and noted Pfizer manufactures in Europe as well as the United States.

Pfizer Canada spokeswoman Christina Antoniou said the company is committed to honoring agreements with Canada. "We are a global company that prioritizes patients all over the world."

Canada is expected to receive up to 249,000 doses of Pfizer's shots this month.

Quebec, Canada's hardest-hit province from COVID-19, plans to start inoculating residents and staff next week at two long-term care facilities.

Quebec is prioritizing nursing homes and staff who work with the elderly for vaccination. Residents in long-term care facilities accounted for most of the deaths during the first wave.

Canada has reported 423,000 infections and nearly 13,000 deaths from the pandemic, as the second wave rips through the country, setting record-high cases this winter.

Britain's Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother, on Tuesday become the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trial. 

The United Kingdom began rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on that day, and has "become the world's first nation to begin vaccinating its citizens with a fully vetted and authorized COVID-19 shot," CNN reported.

The Trump administration also said that the country will have enough vaccine to inoculate everyone who wants a vaccine by the end of the second quarter of 2021.

(With input from Reuters)