Health Canada has approved the first clinical trials in Canada of a potential vaccine, specifically to prevent COVID-19.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement on Saturday.  The trials will be conducted at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology located at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

The Prime Minister says the National Research Council of Canada will be working with the drug's manufacturers to produce and distribute it in Canada if the trials are successful.

According to a statement released the decision to allow the clinical trials was made "following careful review of the application, which Health Canada determined met the necessary requirements for safety and quality."

The vaccine is known as Ad5-nCoV.  It was approved for human trials in China on March 17th.