The vaccines were developed so fast. Were safety steps skipped?

These vaccines were developed and approved faster than any other major vaccine in history. This has caused concern that they were rushed.

They were fast-tracked, but this doesn’t mean corners were cut or important steps were skipped. 

COVID is a new disease that has disrupted how people live around the world and killed millions. 

The faster development, approval and delivery were possible because of:

• Unprecedented international cooperation
• Strong, uninterrupted funding for research and development
• Better coordination and information sharing between scientists and drug companies
• Faster enrolment in clinical trials due to the public concern and interest
• A regulatory approval process that reviewed trial data in real-time
• Manufacturers starting to produce vaccine supplies before approval, to avoid the usual delay between approval and production

The steps in the research and approval process were also streamlined to help speed up the work without compromising the clinical trial or regulatory processes that assure safety. All steps in vaccine development that ensure safety were followed for the approved COVID vaccines.

Find out more about how these vaccines were safely fast tracked from:

Health Canada: Drug and vaccine authorizations for COVID-19

Health Canada: Vaccine development and approval in Canada 

Health Canada: Watch a video version on how COVID-19 vaccines are developed