Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Receives FDA Approval

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has become the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines remain under Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is manufactured in Baltimore by Emergent BioSolutions.

Currently all residents 12 and older are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine in Maryland. Pfizer is a two-dose vaccine, but certain immunocompromised individuals are now eligible for a third dose.

Baltimore City has vaccinated 65.5 percent of its residents 18 and older with at least a single dose, and Maryland has vaccinated 80.1 percent of the population over the age 18 with at least a single dose.

Local reactions to the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine include:

University of Maryland Medical System:

As an academic health system that has been on the frontlines of fighting the global COVID pandemic, from treating over 13,000 patients with COVID, to working with our research and scientist colleagues on vaccine development and vaccinating hundreds of thousands of Marylanders across the state, we welcome the FDA’s official approval today of the Pfizer vaccine. We know this decision was based on rigorous study of the data, which shows an exceedingly high rate of protection against the respiratory virus. Indeed, in our own hospitals, we are seeing that the vast majority of cases are among the unvaccinated. We strongly encourage those who are still hesitant to get vaccinated. The science is clear and bears out what we see every day as Maryland’s largest health system: the vaccine works and protects us from a dangerous virus.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan:

We want to thank federal officials for authorizing full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, which is something we have been pushing for over the last several weeks. For people who are still hesitant about getting the vaccine, this is an assurance that it has met the most rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness.

While this is an important step, full approval of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines is also vital to our efforts, and there are still a number of other areas where swift action is needed at the federal level to maximize our vaccination campaign.

Federal officials must make booster shots available immediately for seniors and vulnerable populations. The State of Maryland is already mobilizing for the utilization of boosters, and we cannot afford to wait until the fall to protect those we know are most vulnerable.

We also continue to call on the federal government to expedite approval so that our 5- to 11-year-olds can begin receiving COVID-19 vaccines. Getting our children vaccinated is critical to giving parents greater peace of mind, but we are being told approval is still months away.

Any further delay on boosters and expanding vaccine access could be devastating to our continued recovery from COVID-19. We look forward to working with the Biden administration on all of these issues.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital released an article entitled: Full FDA Approval of a COVID-19 Vaccine: What You Should Know

About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.