Canada approves AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Getty Images

Canada’s drug regulator authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday for adults aged 18 and older.

Health Canada announced that it has authorized two versions of the vaccine, one that the company made in partnership with Oxford University and another version manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine is the third that Canada has authorized for use. The nation authorized vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna in December.

Canada signed an agreement with British drugmaker AstraZeneca in September for 20 million doses of the vaccine.

The approval comes as Canada’s vaccination effort gets off to a relatively slow start. The nation has administered 1.68 million doses as of Thursday, according to Bloomberg News, which covers 4.5 percent of its population.

Health Canada said that AstraZeneca’s two-dose vaccine showed about 62 percent effectiveness in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 beginning two weeks after the second dose.

The vaccine is given in two doses roughly four to 12 weeks apart, according to Health Canada.

Canada has logged 863,495 cumulative coronavirus infections, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 21,000 people have died.

The U.S. has so far only approved the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but Food and Drug Administration approval of one from Johnson & Johnson is expected Friday.

Tags AstraZeneca Bloomberg Canada Coronavirus coronavirus vaccine COVID-19 COVID-19 vaccine FDA Food and Drug Administration inoculation Moderna Oxford University Pfizer

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed..

Main Area Top ↴

ovp - video bin

Kelly Rizzo shares details about launching Comfort Club

Kelly Rizzo shares details about launching Comfort ...
Debbie Allen talks 'Grey's Anatony' and her new ...
Fiona Rene shares the unique way she gets into ...
Taylor Krause says her 'brain geunuinely ...
Bethany Joy Lenz opens up about surviving a cult
Dafne Keen shares what it was like on the set of ...
More Videos
Main Area Middle ↴
Main Area Bottom ↴

Most Popular

Load more

Video

See all Video