News > Canada health official says ‘no’ to Russian COVID-19 vaccine

Canada health official says ‘no’ to Russian COVID-19 vaccine

The Russian novel coronavirus vaccine will likely not be approved in Canada at this time, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Howard Njoo told reporters on Tuesday, citing lack of data.

Earlier in the day, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia became the first country in the world to register a novel coronavirus vaccine. Njoo said he found the approval of the vaccine in Russia surprising given the testing timelines – from initial discovery to approval.