After UK, Canada Approves Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine For Its Citizens; Says Its Safe & Effective

Upon approval, Canada became the second country in the world after the UK, to approve the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine for its citizens.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: After the United Kingdom, Canada on Wednesday, approved Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use, clearing the way for shots to be delivered and administered across the country, an official said. Upon approval, Canada became the second country in the world after the UK, to approve the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine for its citizens. Health Canada that is responsible for the country’s health policy, posted on its website that the vaccine made by US drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech is authorized. “Canadians can feel confident that the review process was rigorous and that we have strong monitoring systems in place. 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,” Health Canada said in a statement. The federal health agency said that the vaccine effective and safe for use on Canadians, which means that the team responsible for the rollout of vaccines can now begin the process of administering them. According to Health Canada, the country will be receiving 2,49,000 doses by the end of December and 40 lakh doses by March 2021. The department also said that the vaccine is for use in people 16 years of age or older, but noted Pfizer-BioNTech are running further clinical trials on children of all age groups and that could change. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the approval of the Covid-19 vaccine said that he expects to receive a total of six million doses of vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna Inc during the first quarter of next year. The doses will be enough to vaccinate three million people as both vaccines require two shots about a month apart. Meanwhile, Canada has reported a total of 415,182 cases of Covid-19 and 12,665 deaths.