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Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday, days after Britain became the first country to green light and launch it.
“We finally have reason to be optimistic and excited to return to the lives we led before Covid,” Canadian Deputy Director of Public Health Howard Njoo told a news conference, adding that Ottawa was “bringing vaccines to Canadians earlier than expected. ” “
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a tweet called the announcement good news, but warned: “It does not mean we can lower our guard” against the spread of the Covid-19 disease, as a second wave forced several regions to reintroduce restrictions. .
The government’s chief medical adviser, Supriya Sharma, said the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech injection “marks a critical milestone in our efforts to control Covid-19.”
He said that additional vaccines will be available and rolled out throughout 2021, and that three other candidate vaccines, including one developed by the US-based Moderna, which could be delivered later this month, are currently being evaluated by health authorities.
These, he said, will provide “all Canadians the opportunity to get vaccinated.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine underwent an expedited review while it was still in clinical trials, which concluded that it met “strict safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada,” said the country’s health department, Health Canada. .
The Gulf Kingdom of Bahrain also approved the vaccine.
Marc Berthiaume, director of Health Canada’s office of medical science, said his evaluation found “strong evidence that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.”
However, the regulator warned that, for now, it should only be used by people 16 and older.
Canada had reserved 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine while it was still in development, with an option for an additional 56 million doses.
Trudeau said Monday that up to 249,000 doses would be received in December.
The first shipments to 14 sites across Canada are scheduled to arrive Monday and people receive vaccines a day or two later, according to Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, a war-hardened commander tasked with coordinating the distribution.
Health workers and vulnerable populations, including the elderly, will be the first to receive it.
– 95 percent effective –
The federal government concluded pre-orders with several other pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Sanofi and GSK, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, Medicago, and Moderna, for a total of 400 million doses, to ensure that you eventually get what you need for your population of 38 million.
By September 2021, Trudeau said, most Canadians should be vaccinated.
Thousands of Britons became the first in the Western world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Tuesday at the start of the largest global vaccination campaign in more than half a century.
The vaccine, which was shown to be 95 percent effective in late-stage clinical trials, is given in two doses, 21 days apart.
However, British health officials warned on Wednesday that anyone with a history of major allergic reactions should not get it right away, after two people suffered allergic reactions and needed treatment.
Canadian authorities also advised people with allergies to the vaccine ingredients specifically to also wait while they investigated.
US giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech called Canada’s interim order for emergency use “a historic moment in our collective fight against the Covid-19 pandemic” and “a major step towards a return to normalcy in Canada.” .
They will continue to provide data on their use for ongoing evaluation, Health Canada said.
Fortin said the distribution of the vaccine, which must be stored in extreme freezing temperatures, will be a “mobilization effort of massive proportions.”
He and his team have been doing a “dry test” to test the ultra-cold storage delivery chain, transporting boxes from Belgium and handing them out to healthcare workers.
A full dress rehearsal is scheduled for Friday to strengthen the responsibilities of each of the members of the chain.
“Never in modern memory have we seen an unprecedented level of collaboration or cooperation,” Fortin said.
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