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The Pfizer vaccine has become the first coronavirus vaccine to be fully approved by the Food and Drug Association (FDA).
The FDA's approval of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is perceived as a milestone in the war against the illness that could build public confidence and prompt more employers, schools and local jurisdictions to mandate jabs, according to The Associated Press.
"FDA gives full approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. Let’s get it done folks. No excuses," Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George said in a Twitter post.
Since late last year, more than 200 million Pfizer doses have been administered under special emergency provisions, according to The Associated Press.
The Emergency Use Authorization permitted essential rollout of vaccine doses throughout the U.S. to help provide protection during the COVID-19 public health emergency, based on initial data from its clinical trials, according to a Pfizer press release.
Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said Pfizer’s vaccine met the agency’s "high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality," according to CNBC.
"Based on the longer-term follow-up data that we submitted, today’s decision by the FDA affirms the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine at a time when it is urgently needed. About 60% of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated, and infection, hospitalization and death rates continue to rise rapidly among unvaccinated populations across the country," Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, said in a press release.
Pfizer and BioNTech plan to seek licensure of a third, or booster, dose of the coronavirus vaccine in people 16 years of age and older, according to a press release.
The companies also intend to submit a supplemental request to support potential full FDA approval of the coronavirus vaccine in people 12 through 15 years of age once the required data out to six months after the second vaccine dose are available, according to a press release.
"I am hopeful this approval will help increase confidence in our vaccine, as vaccination remains the best tool we have to help protect lives and achieve herd immunity. Hundreds of millions of doses of our vaccine already have been administered in the U.S. since December 2020, and we look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. government to reach more Americans now that we have FDA approval," Bourla said.