E-Paper
After nod to Pfizer, Canada likely to approve Moderna’s Covid vaccine by year-end
Health authorities have indicated that the Moderna vaccine could also be made available soon, possibly before the end of 2020.
Canada may approve a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna before the end of this year, just as the Pfizer-BioNTech shots that got a go-ahead in the country this week are set to arrive on Monday and rolled out thereafter.
Canada has so far ordered 40 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine, with an initial tranche of a limited 249,000 doses, will be targeted at the sections most vulnerable to the pandemic.
Health authorities have indicated that the Moderna vaccine could also be made available soon, possibly before the end of 2020.
Health Canada’s chief medical advisor Dr Supriya Sharma told CBC News that it was within the “realm of possibility” that the Moderna vaccine could be approved within that time period though that depended on additional information that has been requested from the company.
Vaccinations will be provided for free to Canadians.
The government is celebrating the imminent arrival of the initial batch of Pfizer’s vaccines in the country. Federal minister of public services and procurement Anita Anand echoed that mood in the House of Commons. “This has been a wonderful week for Canadians. We are going to have vaccines in this country on Monday.”
The news has been a welcome relief for Canadians, with provinces recording new highs in infections during the second wave of the coronavirus crisis in the country. The death toll has reached 13,109, taking just 11 days to add more than 1,000 fatalities. The total infections number at 441,705.
The outlet Global News reported that the advantage the Moderna vaccine has over the Pfizer version is that it can be stored at – 20 degree Celsius, where normal refrigeration systems could suffice, whereas the latter requires ultracold –70 degree C conditions.
