Washington, December 12: The United States of America (USA) on Saturday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the country. According to reports by Reuters, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer Inc’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use amid the surge in coronavirus infections. On Thursday, after hours of discussion, a high powered US vaccine advisory panel endorsed mass use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, putting the final sign-off in FDA's court. US FDA Ready to Okay Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 Vaccine, Epic Vaccination Drive to Begin.

The US Food and Drug Administration has signalled imminent closure, saying it will "rapidly work toward finalisation and issuance of an emergency use authorisation". So far, the coronavirus virus has killed 290,000 people in the US. Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is poised to become the first of several shots to get US Food and Drug Administration authorization as the US gets crushed with record deaths in the US. Reports inform that the initial supplies from Pfizer and Moderna will be limited and reserved primarily for health care workers and nursing home patients. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Provides Immunity Within 10 Days of First Shot: US FDA.

Earlier, Pfizer had pitched for its vaccine for "prevention of COVID-19 in individuals 16 years and older, with or without evidence of prior infection".  Pfizer said its overall vaccine efficacy of 95 per cent was observed in both younger and older adults as well as in diverse demographics. Responding toquestions on efficacy in 16 and 17 year olds (the EUA has been requested for vaccinating people 16 and older), Pfizer and the FDA both suggested that efficacy in older populations could be extrapolated for older pediatric participants.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 12, 2020 08:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).