The Food and Drug Administration authorized the United States’ first COVID-19 vaccine for people age 16 and over late Friday, a historic moment in a pandemic that has killed over 290,000 in this nation and nearly 1.6 million people worldwide.
“The FDA’s authorization for emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, said in a statement.
The emergency use authorization was expected to trigger the first shipment of 2.9 million doses to 636 sites across the country within 24 hours, primarily to hospitals where front-line health care workers are expected to receive them. Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are also considered a top priority.
Pfizer, which produced the vaccine alongside German company BioNTech, has said it will ship the doses from its Michigan warehouse directly to those sites, pre-selected by governors and local health officials.
“Today, we can begin to turn millions of Americans hopes into reality,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said. “That’s because we have received the great news that the FDA has authorized the emergency use of our COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 or older.”
A second batch of 2.9 million doses was expected to follow close behind, with the U.S. government opting to keep 500,000 doses in reserve to address any shipping or distribution mishaps.
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