Statement for health care professionals: How COVID-19 vaccine will be regulated for safety and effectiveness

Source: International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities. ICMRA statement for healthcare professionals: How COVID-19 vaccines will be regulated for safety and effectiveness. http://www.icmra.info/drupal/en/covid-19/vaccines_confidence_statement_for_hcps

Health Canada, in collaboration with members of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (http://www.icmra.info/drupal/en/aboutus) (ICMRA), released a statement about confidence in COVID-19 vaccines for health care professionals (http://www.icmra.info/drupal/covid-19/vaccines_confidence_statement_for_hcps). The statement aims to inform and help health care professionals answer questions about COVID-19 vaccines. It explains how vaccines undergo robust scientific evaluation to determine their safety, efficacy and quality and how safety will continue to be closely monitored after approval.

ICMRA brings together the heads of 30 medicines regulatory authorities from every region in the world, including Health Canada, with the WHO as an observer. Medicines regulators recognise their important role in facilitating the provision of access to safe and effective high-quality medicinal products that are essential to human health and well-being. This includes ensuring that the benefits of vaccines outweigh their risks.

Information on vaccines and treatments authorized for COVID-19 can be found on Canada's COVID-19 vaccines and treatments portal (https://covid-vaccine.canada.ca/). Weekly updated information about any adverse events that individuals have experienced following COVID-19 vaccine immunization can be found in the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Report (https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/vaccine-safety/).