Canada’s health regulator approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, days ahead of possible approval in the United States, and said it anticipates to commence giving the shots next week.

The vaccine made by U.S. drug manufacturer Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech vaccine already has been authorized for use by the U.K and Bahrain, and officials have said they expect the U.S. authorization within days.

"This a momentous occasion,” said Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Health Canada. “The geek in me is amazed. No one would have thought, even when we looked back at the first discovery of the virus, that less than a year later we would be authorizing and distributing a vaccine.”

Dr. Sharma said Canadians should feel comfortable getting the shot, which was “authorized only after a thorough assessment of the evidence demonstrated that it met Canada’s strict standards for safety, efficacy and quality.”

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Pfizer, Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech applied for emergency use approval