OTTAWA: Canada approved the Moderna coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday (December 23), the second country to do so, paving the way for health authorities to launch an inclusion campaign against a growing second wave worse.
Earlier this month, Ottawa gave the green light to the Pfizer vaccine, which authorities have begun providing to priority groups such as health workers and the elderly. So far Canada has received a small fraction of the 76 million doses it needs to receive.
“After a thorough, independent examination of the evidence, it has been confirmed that the Moderna vaccine meets the strict safety, efficacy, and quality requirements of the department,” the federal health ministry said in a statement.
Shares of the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company suffered losses earlier after the deal was announced, although they were still trading down 1.5 percent at US $ 123.94.
The United States approved the Moderna vaccine last Friday. It needs to be stored and stored frozen, but it does not need the extreme cold temperatures of the Pfizer image developed by German partner BioNTech.
“(This means) it can be distributed to remote and isolated communities,” the health ministry said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Dec. 15 that Canada had signed a deal to receive up to 168,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine by the end of December once regulators had given its final approval.
The second wave of the novel coronavirus is sweeping Canada and medical officials in some parts of the country say the health care system is under dangerous pressure. Canada has recorded 14,425 deaths and 521,509 cases.
One potential threat is a new, more infectious version of the virus found in Britain. Canada banned 72 hours of flights from Britain on Monday and is expected to announce later Wednesday whether that measure will be extended.
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