FDA Approves Two COVID-19 Vaccines

A vial of influenza vaccine next to two syringes.


At last, the FDA has approved both the Pfizer and the BioNTech vaccines.  They are no longer approved only for experimental use which will shoot down one of the last excuses that anti-vaxers have been using as an excuse not to get vaccinated.  This is where the rubber meets the road and those not getting vaccinated are going to have to try and come up with another excuse for doing what the majority of Americans have done—get vaccinated against the coronavirus.  Shortly after the approval, the Pentagon announced that it would require all active-duty military to be vaccinated (only 64% now are) and President Biden put the pressure on private companies to do the same.  “Today I’m calling on more companies in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions to do that,†he said.  Johnson & Johnson and Moderna are expected to submit paperwork to get full approval by the end of the year.  This is definitely great news as hospitalizations from COVID-19 are surging as the Delta variant continues to spread.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-approves-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-for-people-16-and-older-11629726322?mod=djemwhatsnews

Will FDA Full Approval Of Vaccines Convince Non-Vaxxers To Get A Shot?

A blue background with some type of virus


The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is expected to get full FDA approval next week, something that health officials are hoping will convince more non-vaxxers to get vaccinated.  However, many non-vaxxers have a wide litany of excuses as to why they refuse to get vaccinated, and I am skeptical that there will be a huge influx of new vaccinations following the approval.  According to a June poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 30% of non-vaccinated Americans said they would be more likely to get vaccinated when the vaccine goes from emergency use to full-approval.  And although that’s not a big number, it does remain likely that more employers, both public and private, may require workers to get vaccinated.  Only 60% of Americans that are eligible to be vaccinated have actually gotten one.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-poised-to-give-full-approval-of-pfizer-vaccine-next-week-11629498450?mod=djemwhatsnews