More than 79 per cent of eligible Canadians over the age of 12 are now at least partly vaccinated against COVID-19, and 54 per cent are fully vaccinated.

“It’s not like adding more water to the soup,” said vaccine specialist Maria Elena Bottazzi of Baylor College of Medicine.

Tam's announcement comes as Health Canada reviews Pfizer and BioNtech's vaccine candidate, which became the world's first vaccine to receive approval after it was authorized by British health officials.