FDA Panel Approves Pfizer Vaccine for US

The agency is to announce its final decision in days
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 10, 2020 11:21 AM CST
Updated Dec 10, 2020 4:51 PM CST
This Could Be Big Day for Vaccine Approval in US
A nurse holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Guy's Hospital in London.   (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)

A federal government advisory panel has endorsed Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, in a major step toward an epic vaccination campaign that could finally conquer the outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow the recommendation issued Thursday by its expert advisers. The advisory group of outside experts, in 17-4 vote with one abstention, concluded that the shot appears safe and effective against the coronavirus in people 16 and older. A final FDA decision is expected within days, the AP reports. Millions of shots would then ship to begin vaccinating health care workers and nursing home residents. Widespread access to the general public is not expected until the spring. On Sunday, another advisory committee is to meet to make its recommendation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on which groups should receive vaccinations first, per USA Today. (More coronavirus vaccine stories.)

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