FDA gives Pfizer vaccine full approval

The Food and Drug Administration replaced emergency use authorization with full approval for the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19.

Full approval makes it easier for employers or schools to require vaccination or venues likes bars, restaurants or theaters to require proof of vaccination for entry. The change in status of the vaccine may also reassure some people who were skeptical of taking the vaccine before it was fully approved.

The FDA assured the public in its statement that “this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.”

Moderna’s vaccine is expected to get full use authorization soon as well.

— David Taffet