Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Offers Strong Protection After First Dose, Poised for FDA OK

The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is poised to get approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after a scientific evaluation released on Tuesday confirmed it offered strong protection.

According to New York Times, the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine was proven as effective in protecting against COVID-19 after first dose.

FDA's findings set the stage for the government to approve the coronavirus vaccine in what could be considered the world biggest vaccination effort.

It is one of the few significant findings found in the briefing materials, which included also data analyses Pfizer.

FDA's analysis did not flag any new concerns or safety issues with the vaccine after reviewing submitted data, reported Fox News. But participants did experience some side effects such as aches and fevers during the course of the vaccine trials.

The evaluation was released before a meeting with its independent vaccine advisory group on Thursday, noted The Associated Press.

This group of advisers will debate if the evidence is strong enough to recommend vaccinations to Americans, so final decisions on the COVID-19 shots could be coming in a few days.

Pfizer Vaccine Protection Kicks in Early

Last month, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their coronavirus vaccine was 95% effective after volunteers too two doses administered three weeks apart.

With the new analyses, it was found that the protection actually starts even before the second dose is given.

According to Breitbart, Pfizer's vaccine can provide about 50% protection against the virus during the first 10 days after the first dose.

Data provided by the FDA also suggested that the vaccine will be effective regardless of the reciepients' race, weight or age.

The data was promising since people of color had been seen as some of the most at-risk groups amid the pandemic.

During the reanalysis of Pfizer's study, the FDA found so far that the shot also works well with older people, who are known to be especially high-risk to the virus.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccination started to get administered in Britain on Tuesday just as AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate showed promising data.

Moderna's vaccine will also be up for consideration by the FDA this month.

FDA Meeting Closely Anticipated by Health Authorities

The Thursday meeting with vaccine advisers is a public event and will be closely watched by healthcare authorities globally.

Data gathered during the analysis will be considered and discussed ahead of a vote on whether the Pfizer and BioNTech inoculation should be given authorization by the agency.

Many consider the effort to be essential in restoring Americans' trust in vaccine safety after months of skepticism.

"We want people to see this discussion, to see the issues that are brought up, and have a vigorous discussion of the data elements by the outside experts," said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn

Hahn added that these discussions will be important in showing the public what goes into the FDA's decision making.

If the Pfizer vaccine gets issued authorization, the FDA is expected to follow the advisory committee's advice, and the first people to get vaccinations will be healthcare workers and nursing home residents.