As the Moderna version of a COVID-19 vaccine inches closer to full FDA authorization, Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine is now more than a week into its uncontested reign as the only fully approved dose on the market. Certain schools, businesses, and other organizations, newly armed with this agency backing, have firmer ground to stand on in their tenacious efforts to enact vaccine mandates.
The emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine saw more than 204 million shots go into arms since December 2020. Pressure from scientific sectors and advocacy groups has made FDA officials “fast-track” full approval, but due diligence inevitably rendered the process interminable in relation to the fatality-filled pandemic timeline. FDA science officials combed through thousands of pages of Pfizer vaccine data covering over 40,000 trial participants. Research showed a 91% efficacy rate in COVID prevention, a 4% reduction from the original trial metrics touted late last year.
Despite more than half of the U.S. population receiving at least their first jab, numerous Americans remain hesitant to vaccinate. Medical professionals hope that this full FDA approval will change minds, despite the fact that much of vaccine rejection stems from mistrust of federal authorities. An auspicious survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation, however, discovered that 3 in 10 unvaccinated adults would reconsider vaccination if any of the doses were fully approved.
