Canada approves Pfizer vaccine, could begin distributing shots next week

Canada on Wednesday approved a coronavirus vaccine, one day after Great Britain began giving vaccine shots to residents.

The vaccine approved by both countries is made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech. 

U.S. regulators are scheduled to meet Thursday to consider emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine, after saying earlier this week that it had met safety and efficacy standards. 

Canada's regulatory agency, Health Canada, says it has completed an independent review of the company's clinical trials for its vaccine candidate, determining its safety and efficacy outside of the data provided by Pfizer. Canada's first shipment of the vaccine will total 249,000 doses, which will arrive by the end of the month. Canada has agreed to a deal with Pfizer that will entail the purchase of 76 million doses for its population of 38 million people. 

Pfizer will begin shipping doses to Canada from a plant in Belgium on Friday, meaning Canadians could begin receiving vaccination shots as soon as Wednesday. 

A federal panel in Canada has recommended that the first doses of the vaccine go people over 80, frontline workers at longterm care facilities and indigenous communities. 

"It's a good news day for Canadians but we are not through this yet," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "We have a tough winter to go through." 

President Trump has reportedly demanded the FDA speed up its determination process and is reportedly disappointed that Britain and now Canada are on schedule to begin inoculating their citizens prior to the United States.