What’s in the News: Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Receives Full FDA Approval

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval on Aug. 23 to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in those 16 years of age and older. The action makes the vaccine the first fully licensed vaccine against COVID-19 in the U.S. and is expected to lead to additional vaccination mandates by employers and others. The vaccine remains available for children 12 to 15 years old under an emergency use authorization while additional data is collected for full approval of the vaccine for use in this age group. A clinical trial to support the vaccine’s use in children under 12 is still being conducted by Pfizer and BioNTech, according to STAT. Additional coverage of FDA’s approval included articles by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, among others.