Now that the first vaccine to protect against COVID-19 has been approved for use in Canada, vaccinations could begin as soon as next week.
Major-General Dany Fortin, who is leading Canada’s vaccine distribution plans, said yesterday , “We expect vaccines to arrive maybe as early as Monday and added the first shots could be given by the middle of next week.
Public health officials also said vaccines for the general population will begin in April 2021, with the plan to have everyone who wants to be immunized by the end of 2021.
As for reports of allergic reactions to the vaccine in the UK, Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical advisor with the regulatory branch of Health Canada, said they are monitoring the situation, but adds the two patients had previously had allergic reactions to other things and that’s not uncommon.
She said most of the side effects reported are fairly mild. They include: pain at the injection site, body chills, a fever or feeling sluggish, and a headache.
For the official statement on Health Canada’s approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine, please click here.
Dr. Supriya Sharma, Sr. Medical Advisor to the Deputy Minister, discusses the arrival of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Canada next week and the approval process. Watch the full interview: https://t.co/ro5C0dahAi #cpacpoli #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/1KPR0RsYIm
— CPAC’s PrimeTime Politics (@PTP_CPAC) December 10, 2020
LIVE: Health Minister Patty Hajdu comments on Health Canada's approval of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine https://t.co/3115lnRQno#cdnpoli #polcan pic.twitter.com/teo7siCazT
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) December 9, 2020