Canada on Wednesday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus&nbsp;vaccine</a>, days after Britain became the first country to greenlight and roll it out.

"Today, Canada reached a critical milestone in its fight against Covid-19 with the authorization of the first Covid-19 vaccine," Health Canada said in a statement.

The vaccine, it added, had undergone a fast-tracked review, which concluded that it met "stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada."

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The nation's first coronavirus vaccine green light comes under a new interim order system that allows for accelerated approval very similar to the US&nbsp;Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorizations.

"The approval of the vaccine is supported by evidence that it is safe, effective and of good quality," Health&nbsp;Canada&nbsp;said in a statement. The vaccine has initially been authorized for use in people 16 years of age or older.

Canadian officials have said that under their procurement deal with Pfizer, doses would not be shipped to&nbsp;Canada&nbsp;until the vaccine won Health&nbsp;Canada&nbsp;approval.

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Fend off attacks

Canada&nbsp;will start receiving its first doses of Pfizer's vaccine before the end of December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.

The news could help the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fend off attacks from opposition parties that have accused Ottawa of acting too slowly to tackle a worsening coronavirus second wave.

Officials had initially expected to get a total of six million doses of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna Inc by end-March. That would be enough to inoculate three million people as both vaccines require two shots about a month apart.

But Trudeau said up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine Pfizer is producing with German partner BionNTech SE would arrive this month, and a further three million doses should be delivered at the start of 2021.

Saying vaccinations could start next week, Trudeau dismissed the suggestion his government had pressed for early delivery to relieve political attacks by the opposition.

"There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty in terms of which vaccines were going to arrive first ... we wanted not to get people's hopes up," he told reporters, repeating Ottawa expects regulators to approve the Pfizer vaccine this week.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-is-here-348424/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

On December 2, the United Kingdom became the first to approve the Pfizer vaccine, which in a large clinical trial was 95% effective at preventing illness.

Pfizer is responsible for shipping its vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage, to warehouses across&nbsp;Canada.

Canada&nbsp;has a firm order for 20 million doses of the vaccine, enough to inoculate 10 million people, with options to buy up to 56 million more.

For the most part, provincial and territorial health systems will administer the shot, for free, across the country. They will have final say over how to use scarce early supplies in their jurisdictions.

According to preliminary guidance published by the federal government in early November, vulnerable people and those who look after them are high priority, including long-term care residents and some healthcare workers.

Canada&nbsp;has ordered more shots per capita than any other country.

Canada on Wednesday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, days after Britain became the first country to greenlight and roll it out. "Today, Canada reached a critical milestone in its fight against Covid-19 with the authorization of the first Covid-19 vaccine," Health Canada said in a statement.

Canada on Wednesday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, days after Britain became the first country to greenlight and roll it out. "Today, Canada reached a critical milestone in its fight against Covid-19 with the authorization of the first Covid-19 vaccine," Health Canada said in a statement. The vaccine, it added, had undergone a fast-tracked review, which concluded that it met "stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada." Also read: UK issues 'allergy warning' over Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after two reported cases The nation's first coronavirus vaccine green light comes under a new interim order system that allows for accelerated approval very similar to the US Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorizations. "The approval of the vaccine is supported by evidence that it is safe, effective and of good quality," Health Canada said in a statement. The vaccine has initially been authorized for use in people 16 years of age or older. Canadian officials have said that under their procurement deal with Pfizer, doses would not be shipped to Canada until the vaccine won Health Canada approval. Also read: Canadian PM Trudeau under political firestorm over lack of transparency of billions of dollars in aid Fend off attacks Canada will start receiving its first doses of Pfizer's vaccine before the end of December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday. The news could help the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fend off attacks from opposition parties that have accused Ottawa of acting too slowly to tackle a worsening coronavirus second wave. Officials had initially expected to get a total of six million doses of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna Inc by end-March. That would be enough to inoculate three million people as both vaccines require two shots about a month apart. But Trudeau said up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine Pfizer is producing with German partner BionNTech SE would arrive this month, and a further three million doses should be delivered at the start of 2021. Saying vaccinations could start next week, Trudeau dismissed the suggestion his government had pressed for early delivery to relieve political attacks by the opposition. "There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty in terms of which vaccines were going to arrive first ... we wanted not to get people's hopes up," he told reporters, repeating Ottawa expects regulators to approve the Pfizer vaccine this week. On December 2, the United Kingdom became the first to approve the Pfizer vaccine, which in a large clinical trial was 95% effective at preventing illness. Pfizer is responsible for shipping its vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage, to warehouses across Canada. Canada has a firm order for 20 million doses of the vaccine, enough to inoculate 10 million people, with options to buy up to 56 million more. For the most part, provincial and territorial health systems will administer the shot, for free, across the country. They will have final say over how to use scarce early supplies in their jurisdictions. According to preliminary guidance published by the federal government in early November, vulnerable people and those who look after them are high priority, including long-term care residents and some healthcare workers. Canada has ordered more shots per capita than any other country.

Now, Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine

A strip club employee who tested positive for novel coronavirus in the Canadian city of Toronto has exposed 550 people to the deadly virus, according to the health officials.&nbsp;

The incident took place just days after the Brass Rail Tavern, one of the city's famous strip clubs reopened.&nbsp;

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The health officials said the Brass Rail Tavern employee worked four shifts at the beginning of August but did not provide any information on the role of the employee in the club.&nbsp;

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They added that the clients who came in contact with the employee were asked to watch out for COVID-19 symptoms, however public health experts argue how many people have given legitimate contact information.&nbsp;

"You know how long it’s going to take them to chase down 550 guys, half of which probably gave fake ID or information," said Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto told news agency Associated Press.

Toronto health authorities said their initial probe found the club not fully following required protocols, including social distancing between staff and customers among others.&nbsp;

"There are 500 people – you’ve got to practice social distancing, you’ve got to put on a mask – I know it sounds ironic talking about that – you have to," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford, reported The Guardian.&nbsp;

Several people also questioned the move to reopen clubs, when the deadly virus has led to over 40,000 infections in the country.&nbsp;

A strip club employee who tested positive for novel coronavirus in the Canadian city of Toronto has exposed 550 people to the deadly virus, according to the health officials.

A strip club employee who tested positive for novel coronavirus in the Canadian city of Toronto has exposed 550 people to the deadly virus, according to the health officials. The incident took place just days after the Brass Rail Tavern, one of the city's famous strip clubs reopened. Also read | Canada PM Justin Trudeau’s life story to be turned into comic book The health officials said the Brass Rail Tavern employee worked four shifts at the beginning of August but did not provide any information on the role of the employee in the club. Also read | Record Arctic heat continues, Canada’s last intact ice shelf collapses into the sea They added that the clients who came in contact with the employee were asked to watch out for COVID-19 symptoms, however public health experts argue how many people have given legitimate contact information. "You know how long it’s going to take them to chase down 550 guys, half of which probably gave fake ID or information," said Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto told news agency Associated Press. Toronto health authorities said their initial probe found the club not fully following required protocols, including social distancing between staff and customers among others. "There are 500 people – you’ve got to practice social distancing, you’ve got to put on a mask – I know it sounds ironic talking about that – you have to," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford, reported The Guardian. Several people also questioned the move to reopen clubs, when the deadly virus has led to over 40,000 infections in the country.

Canada: Coronavirus-positive strip club employee may have exposed nearly 550 more

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Now, Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine

Canada: Coronavirus-positive strip club employee may have exposed nearly 550 more