Canada health officials on Wednesday approved the covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE. The authorisation came a day after the United Kingdom, which became the first country to approve Pfizer’s vaccine, started vaccinating its residents.
The nation’s order for approval of the vaccine followed a very pattern similar to U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorizations.
“Canadians can feel confident that the review process was rigorous and that we have strong monitoring systems in place,” Health Canada said in a statement announcing the authorisation.
“The approval of the vaccine is supported by evidence that it is safe, effective and of good quality,” it added. Health Canada is still in talks with officials and doses would not be shipped to the country until officials approve.
“Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada will closely monitor the safety of the vaccine once it is on the market and will not hesitate to take action if any safety concerns are identified,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said that the nation will start vaccination drive before the end of December. He had added that the most vulnerable populations will be the first to administer the first doses.
Canada has ordered 20 million doses of vaccine which will be enough to inoculate 10 million people since it’s a two dose vaccine. Meanwhile, Canada also has contract with six other companies to deliver covid-19 vaccine in the country.
Canda, which has a population of 38 million, is currently witnessing spike in number of cases in the wake of winter wave.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the country has witnessed at least 435,600 confirmed cases and more than 12,900 deaths related to covid-19, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Meanwhile, Pfizer has been approved by Bahrain and is yet to be approved in India and the United States. In the study analysis, the vaccine has proven an efficacy rate of 95 per cent.