Ask the experts COVID-19 vaccines questions: Monitoring safety after approval

A super appears on a pink background: COVID-19 vaccine questions

Cut to a new super on a white background with a pink border: How are children’s COVID-19 vaccines monitored for safety and side effects?

Cut to a doctor in an office, then a super appears:

• Dr. Cora Constantinescu
• Pediatrician and Infectious Disease Specialist
• Alberta Children’s Hospital
• University of Calgary

The doctor answers the question.

Dr. Cora Constantinescu: All vaccines approved in Canada are closely monitored for as long as they’re used.

The federal government works with the provinces and territories, but also with vaccine manufacturers and other countries where the same vaccine is given, to monitor the safety and the effectiveness of vaccines.

Canada also has a specific system to monitor the safety of vaccines for children. It’s called the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program ACTive, also known as IMPACT, and it has been used to monitor childhood vaccinations for more than 20 years.

This continued monitoring works to quickly identify potential safety concerns so that the appropriate action can be taken if needed.

If you’re unsure or you have questions about your child getting vaccinated, I encourage you to speak with your health care provider.

Cut to a white screen with a pink border: Got questions?

Cut to a new white screen with a pink border:

• Good.
• We’ve got answers.
• Canada.ca/covid-vaccine

The Canada wordmark with waving flag appears.

A super appears on a pink background: COVID-19 vaccine questions

A person and their child are seated in their home. The person speaks directly to the camera: How do I know a COVID-19 vaccine is safe for my youth without long-term data?

Cut to a doctor in an office, the window behind her shows a person in a full-body protection suit working in a lab; then a super appears:

• Dr. Alyson Kelvin
• Virologist and Assistant Professor
• Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University and the IWK Children’s Hospital, Nova Scotia

The doctor responds to the person's question.

Dr. Alyson Kelvin: Although mRNA vaccine technology may seem new, it has been studied for decades, rigorously assessed by experts such as myself in Canada, as well as around the world. All vaccines have potential risks, but most side effects are mild and occur within weeks of vaccination. Importantly, all vaccines are monitored in Canada for as long as they’re in use, and it is clear that the long-term health risks of COVID-19 are greater than that of mRNA vaccines.

Cut to a white screen with a pink border: Got questions?

Pop-up speech boxes appear with the following questions:

• How effective are COVID-19 vaccines for youth?
• Do COVID-19 vaccines cause different side effects in youth compared to adults?
• Should youth get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available to them?

Cut to a new white screen with a pink border:

• Good.
• We’ve got answers.
• Canada.ca/covid-vaccine

Narration: A message from the Government of Canada

The Canada wordmark with waving flag appears.

A super appears on a pink background: COVID-19 vaccine questions

A person speaks directly to the camera to ask a question: Without long-term data, how do we know that the vaccine is safe?

Cut to a doctor in an office, then a super appears:

• Dr. Supriya Sharma
• Chief Medical Advisor
• Health Canada

The doctor responds to the person’s question.

Dr. Supriya Sharma: Vaccines are carefully studied in controlled clinical trials with tens of thousands of people. But, even before a single person receives a vaccine in a clinical trial there’s an incredible amount of research that goes into the development of the vaccines from lab studies, animal studies and everything that we know about vaccines in general. And what we know is that the vast majority of side effects from vaccines are minor and last only for a few days. But, we continue to monitor all the vaccines for an extended period of time and continue to do that as long as they’re used in Canada.

Cut to a white screen with a pink border: Got questions?

Cut to a new white screen with a pink border:

• Good.
• We've got answers.
• Canada.ca/covid-vaccine

The Canada wordmark with waving flag appears.

A super appears on a pink background: COVID-19 vaccine questions

A person speaks directly to the camera to ask a question: How are side effects and the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines monitored in Canada?

Cut to a doctor in an office, then a super appears:

• Dr. Supriya Sharma
• Chief Medical Advisor
• Health Canada

The doctor responds to the person’s question.

Dr. Supriya Sharma: Vaccines are among the most closely monitored medications anywhere. Health Canada works closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada and public health officials to make sure that all vaccines are tracked and monitored for any side effects. We not only look for the safety of those vaccines but also the effectiveness or how well they work. And if any issues come up, we’ll act on it as soon as possible to make sure that those vaccines can continue to be used safely and effectively.

Cut to a white screen with a pink border: Got questions?

Cut to a new white screen with a pink border:

• Good.
• We've got answers.
• Canada.ca/covid-vaccine

The Canada wordmark with waving flag appears.

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