The US Food and Drug Administration has given emergency approval to the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the first Covid vaccine to be approved in the US.
FDA Commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, confirmed the news in a statement Friday night. "The FDA authorization for emergency use of the first vaccine for Covid-19 is a milestone in the fight against this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world," Hahn said.
The FDA decision comes after several states approved the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico.
In a video posted on Twitter Friday night, Donald Trump hailed the vaccine as "one of the greatest scientific achievements in history" and said the first dose would be administered in less than 24 hours.
The FDA authorized the vaccine, called BNT162b2, after a trial involving more than 43,000 people where it was found to be effective in preventing coronavirus in 95% of cases.
The vaccine will be authorized for people aged 16 and over. Pfizer is continuing to study the vaccine in children ages 12-15. Meanwhile experts continue to warn that, despite the effectiveness of the vaccine, we will not immediately return to normal.
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Sources: Guardian, New York Times
