- Two vaccine manufacturers have submitted applications for full approval of their COVID-19 vaccines, but the FDA hasn’t yet indicated when a decision will come.
- COVID-19 vaccines have been given emergency use authorization in the United States but have not yet been granted full approval.
- So far, the FDA has shown no indication of when it will grant full approval for these vaccines.
- Experts say full approval may help increase vaccination rates.
It’s been almost 7 months since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the first emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine: Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine.
In the following months, two other COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna’s mRNA vaccine and Johnson & Johnson’s adenovirus vector vaccine, were given emergency use authorization.
Since that first authorization, more than 182.7 million U.S. people — 55 percent of the total population — have received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
During the vaccination campaign, most people have received an mRNA vaccine either because it was more available or they preferred an mRNA vaccine.
In addition, a number of peer-reviewed studies have been published supporting the safety and effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines seen in the initial clinical trials.
Yet, so far the FDA has shown no indication of when it will grant full approval.
Lack of full approval, though, hasn’t limited the availability of the vaccines.
Right now, any person 12 years of age or older can get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States. The country also has plenty of doses to go around.
Source: healthline