FDA grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid shot

Islam News – On Monday morning, the F.D.A. granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people 16 and up.

It is the first vaccine to move beyond emergency-use status in the U.S., and officials hope it will persuade some of the 85 million unvaccinated Americans who are eligible for shots but have not received them.

Data from 44,000 clinical trial participants in United States, the European Union, Turkey, South Africa and South America showed the vaccine was 91 percent effective in preventing infection. So far, more than 92 million Americans — 54 percent of those fully inoculated — have gotten Pfizer shots; most of the rest received Moderna’s vaccine.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will continue to be authorized for emergency use for children ages 12 to 15 while Pfizer collects the data required for full approval. Authorizing the vaccine for children younger than 12 could be at least several months away.

The decision is expected to accelerate the pace of vaccine mandates from government agencies, universities, corporations and other organizations.

Source: The New York Times