A health-care worker does testing at a drive-thru COVID-19 assessment centre at the Etobicoke General Hospital in Toronto on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Health Canada says it's begun its first review of a possible vaccine for COVID-19.
The agency says it's evaluating the vaccine candidate being worked on by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.
The possible vaccine is undergoing what's called a ``rolling review,'' in which Health Canada accepts data and results from the company's trials as it comes in, rather than waiting for everything to be complete.
Health Canada cautions that starting a rolling review is just one step on the road to approval.
The federal government has put in an advance order for 20 million doses of this vaccine candidate, if it proves safe and effective.