Canada on Wednesday authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the third country to do so just days ahead of the vaccine’s possible approval in the U.S.
Health Canada announced online that the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech meets the department’s “safety, efficacy and quality” standards for use. Canada’s decision follows approvals by the United Kingdom and Bahrain and comes a day before U.S. regulators are scheduled to discuss emergency authorization for the coronavirus vaccine.
“Canada reached a critical milestone in its fight against COVID-19 with the authorization of the first COVID-19 vaccine,” Health Canada said. “Canadians can feel confident that the review process was rigorous and that we have strong monitoring systems in place.”
The health department said it will immediately take action if safety concerns with the vaccine do arise. Health Canada received Pfizer’s request for approval on Oct. 9 and said it performed a “thorough, independent review of the evidence” before authorizing the vaccine.
Under the authorization, Pfizer and BioNTech must continue to provide vaccine information to Health Canada.
Canada is set to receive up to 249,000 doses this month, meaning 124,500 of the highest risk citizens will get the first of two required shots, according to The Associated Press. Two doses are required a few weeks apart, and officials expect to start vaccinations within days.
The initial use of the vaccine is for people 16 years and older as the manufacturers conduct more clinical trials on children of all age groups.
On Tuesday, Britain kicked off the first large vaccination effort with the Pfizer and BioNTech shot. In the U.S., regulators published their first scientific analysis of the COVID-19 vaccine and found that it appears safe and more than 90% effective.
Coronavirus vaccines are reaching the market less than a year after the pandemic took off and as places around the globe face surging infections.
Worldwide, the coronavirus has infected nearly 68.5 million people and claimed more than 1.5 million lives. The U.S. ranks the highest for COVID-19 infections and deaths with more than 15.2 million cases and 287,000 deaths as of Wednesday, a Johns Hopkins tally shows. Canada has reported more than 435,000 coronavirus infections and almost 13,000 deaths.
Pfizer and BioNTech said it will supply a minimum of 20 million doses and up to 76 million doses to Canada through 2021.
• Shen Wu Tan can be reached at stan@washingtontimes.com.
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