Canada’s health regulator has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday and said it hopes to start giving the shots next week.
The vaccine made by US drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech vaccine already has been authorized for use by the United Kingdom and Bahrain, and officials have said they expect the US authorization within days. On Tuesday, the UK became the first country in the world to roll it out.
Calling the authorisation a "milestone" in the country's fight against coronavirus, the health Canada said the vaccine met its "stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements".
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is set to receive up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine this month.
In total, the Canadian government has purchased 20 million doses of the vaccine - enough to inoculate 10 million people - with the option to buy 56 million more. US regulators have confirmed the vaccine is 95% effective, paving the way for it to be approved for emergency use there. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are set to meet on Thursday to formally review whether the US should authorise its use. Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
