Toronto [Canada], December 11 (ANI/Sputnik): The first 30,000 doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine are due to arrive in Canada in a matter of days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters.

"The first 30,000 doses are expected to arrive on Canadian soil in just a few days," Trudeau said on Thursday, a day after health regulators approved the country's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, granting emergency authorization to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine candidate.

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The federal government will cover the cost of the vaccine, Trudeau added.

The prime minister also announced that his government will create a federal vaccine support program to address the unintended adverse effects of vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Canada is expected receive up to 249,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech before the end of December, which will allow up to 124,500 Canadians to be vaccinated before the end of the year, Trudeau said on Monday.

Public health officials say the plan is to vaccinate 40 to 50 percent of Canadians by next summer and complete the COVID-19 immunization program by September 30, 2021.

As of Tuesday, Canadian authorities have reported over 440,000 coronavirus cases and more than 13,000 virus-related fatalities. (ANI/Sputnik)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)