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Canada approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer
Posted at 11:56 AM, Dec 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-09 12:07:19-05

Canada is the latest country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine candidate made by Pfizer and BioNTech, according to ABC News and the Washington Post.

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the vaccine would arrive in Canada next week and that doses would be distributed at that time.

The FDA is expected to meet tomorrow to discuss granting Emergency Use Authorization to the Pfizer vaccine. Approval is expected, and Americans may begin receiving doses as soon as next week.

The drug has already been administered to some patients in the United Kingdom, who approved the vaccine for emergency use last week.

On Wednesday, officials announced that two people with extensive histories with allergies had suffered "adverse effects" from the injections, but both patients are expected to be OK. Officials in the U.K. are now advising patients with similar histories of extreme allergic reactions to not get vaccinated for the time being.

Initial efficacy studies showed the Pfizer vaccine to be 95% effective in preventing COVID-19, without serious side effects.

A vaccine candidate made by Moderna is also on the precipice of receiving widespread approval from several major western countries.