Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and BioNTech filed a petition with the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday seeking authorization for emergency use for their Covid-19 vaccine.
This is the first space-borne coronavirus vaccine to be administered in the United States.
"It is a great pride, joy and even a little relief to be able to say that our request for authorization of emergency use for our Covid-19 vaccine is now in the hands of the FDA," said Pfizer CEO, via video released on yesterday. This is a historic, historic day for science and for all of us. It took us only 248 days, from the day we confirmed our cooperation with BioNTech until the moment we submitted it to the FDA. "
The vaccine, known as BNT162b2, will most likely be available initially to the most at-risk population in the US by mid-December. At least that is what the representatives of Pfizer and BioNTech said during a statement.
The vaccine requires a total of two doses with a few weeks apart and protection is achieved 28 days after the first dose.
If the FDA authorizes the vaccines, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an independent panel of experts, will meet within 24 to 48 hours. During this meeting, the committee is expected to decide whether everyone should be vaccinated, or whether there are several groups of people who should be excluded from this vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine is particularly complicated, as it must be stored at minus 75 degrees Celsius, and doctors' offices or pharmacies usually do not have freezers that go to such low temperatures.
The first groups that are expected to receive the vaccine are health care workers, the elderly, the most vulnerable groups, etc.
Source: CNN
