COVID-19 Vaccine on the Horizon

Nearly nine months have passed since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Alberta. We know this pandemic has been difficult for us all, and we thank each and every one of you for your compassion and dedication.

And now there is some promising news on the horizon.

Last week, the drug maker Moderna announced its COVID-19 vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective. That follows Pfizer’s announcement that its vaccine candidate was found to be more than 95 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19.

Joining me to talk more about the potential COVID-19 vaccine and what the next steps might be are:

• Dr. Laura McDougall, Senior Medical Officer of Health.
• Dr. Kristin Klein, Medical Officer of Health, Provincial Population and Public Health.
• Chris Wood, Executive Director, Communicable Disease Control, Provincial Population and Public Health.

Laura, Kristin and Chris discuss what goes into making sure vaccines are safe and effective, what we can adapt from other immunization campaigns, and how we plan to keep staff up-to-date on the vaccine’s progress.