President Joe Biden says, “The moment you’ve been waiting for is here. It’s time for you to go get your vaccination. And get it today.” This comes after the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for those 16 years of age and up. This is the first coronavirus vaccine to receive full approval. It’s a big step as some say they were waiting for the government approval before getting the vaccine. The Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock released a statement saying:
“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”
This also makes it easier for businesses and institutions to follow through with vaccine mandates. The New York Times writes:
The decision will set off a cascade of vaccine requirements by hospitals, colleges, corporations and other organizations. United Airlines recently announced that its employees will be required to show proof of vaccination within five weeks of regulatory approval.
A lot of major companies have already announced vaccine mandates including Google, Walmart, Tyson Foods, and more. The Pentagon also said vaccinations would be mandatory for service members by the middle of September, or sooner if the vaccine was fully approved.
Today during a news conference to tout the full approval, President Biden said:
“I’m calling on more companies in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people… If you’re a business leader, a nonprofit leader, a state or local leader, who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that, require it. It only makes sense to require a vaccine to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
CNN adds:
Out of more than 170 million people in the United States fully vaccinated against Covid-19, more than 92 million have received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Officials discussed this weekend how to prepare for the rollout once the FDA grants full approval, given it will be a major messaging opportunity to encourage vaccination.