US Advisory Panel Endorses Widespread Use of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

An advisory panel from the U.S. government has endorsed the widespread use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. With this, the country is just one step away from starting the COVID-19 vaccination.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to decide on the endorsement, which came after the number of deaths in the country already reached nearly 300,000.

The number of COVID-19 infections and deaths across the country continues to swell, and it might increase after the holiday season.

Endorsement of Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine

According to an Associated Press report, the shot could be given within days as soon as the FDA grants Pfizer an emergency use authorization.

"This is a light at the end of the long tunnel of this pandemic," said Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The advisory panel has voted 17-4 in favor of the widespread use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, while one member abstained.

The panel believed that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears to be safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers beginning at 16.

Endorsement of Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Worries Some Expert

Despite the promising result after the third human clinical trial of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and endorsement from the U.S. panel, some experts still doubt how safe the vaccine is after two people, who received it in Britain, experienced an allergic reaction.

Britain is the first country to begin dispensing the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.

Dr. Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a panel member, said there are still some remaining unknowns about the vaccine. However, he noted that the question here is whether a person knows enough to press ahead.

He concluded in his statement that the potential benefits outweigh the risks. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was developed at speed less than a year after the coronavirus was identified.

Number of Vaccines to be Released Once FDA Grants Emergency Use Authorization

Pfizer and BioNTech said they would produce 25 million doses of the two-shot vaccine for the country before the year ends.

The initial supply will be given to those who belong to Tier 1a, which are the health care workers and nursing home residents. Next in line to receive the vaccine are the vulnerable groups.

Pfizer earlier said that the vaccine would be made available to everyone.

The public is now waiting for the FDA staff scientists to decide whether to press ahead with large-scale immunizations with Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine.

FDA's vaccine director Dr. Peter Marks said a decision would likely come out in a matter of "days to a week."

Dr. William Moss of Johns Hopkins University, who was not involved in the panel's review, said that given how the pandemic negatively impacted the country today, the FDA needs to move now.

Experts earlier said that at least 70 percent of the population would have to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. This is the point at which the coronavirus could be held in check.

The advisory panel includes non-government experts in vaccine development, medical statistics, and infectious diseases.