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Good News: Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Has Received Full FDA Approval for age 16 and older, based on data from roughly 44,000 people. Comirnaty, as Pfizer's vaccine is called, was 91% effective in preventing Covid-19. The Pfizer vaccine retains emergency use authorization for children ages 12 to 15.
The Pfizer vaccine was approved just four months after Pfizer-BioNTech applied for full FDA authorization in early May 2021, the fastest vaccine approval in the agency's over 100 year history.
To date, over 92 million U.S. citizens and residents, over half of those vaccinated in the U.S., have received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation in early June found that 30 percent of unvaccinated Americans said they were more inclined to get vaccinated if the vaccine had received full FDA approval.
In an address today, President Biden urged unvaccinated Americans: “The moment you've been waiting for is here,” he said. “It's time for you to go get your vaccination. Get it today.” He went on to ask companies in the private sector to require their workforces to get vaccinated or face strict requirements, which could entail frequent COVID-19 testing.
In the travel and hospitality sectors, notable vaccine requirements include:
- San Francisco and NYC Vaccination Mandates for Indoor Dining, Entertainment
- United Airlines will require all U.S. airline crews and employees to be vaccinated
- Delta requires new employees to be vaccinated
- Most cruise lines
The U.S. is also expected to require international visitors to the U.S. to be fully vaccinated, although specifics haven't yet been announced, and U.S. borders remain closed to most visitors from the UK, the EU, Brazil, China, India, Iran, and South Africa.
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