FDA grants full approval of Pfizer vaccine, Moderna likely next

Moderna likely next for FDA approval, doctors say

Justin Matthews reports

WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave its full approval for the Pfizer vaccine Monday, a significant step forward from the emergency-use authorization it received last year.

Now that one shot is officially on the books, medical experts say the Moderna version is likely next.

"A lot of people have been waiting for this, they’ve said all along that we don’t have enough data, we haven’t had enough review, we need more, and this is what people have been asking for, and here we are today that’s why it’s a big day," said. Dr. Steven R. Smith, AdventHealth’s chief scientific officer.

Dr. Smith said the Moderna vaccine is next. Moderna filed its paperwork with the FDA soon after Pfizer and Dr. Smith says he's confident the Moderna vaccine will get FDA approval within the next few weeks.

Are vaccine mandates legal?

The FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could mean more schools and companies will soon require it. The Supreme Court has already ruled that such mandates are legal.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy expects full approval will spur more vaccine mandates by schools and businesses. He also said he believes it will persuade more Americans to get the shot.

"For businesses and universities that have been thinking about putting vaccine requirements in place in order to create safer spaces for people to work and learn, I think that this move from the FDA...will actually help them to move forward with those kinds of plans,’’ Murthy told CNN on Sunday.

Johnson & Johnson also filed its requests for full approval.

FDA approval means employers might require vaccines

The FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could also mean more schools and companies will soon require it. The Supreme Court has already ruled that such mandates are legal.

Nearly 200 million people, or just over 60% of the U.S. population, had received at least one vaccine dose as of last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over half of the population was fully vaccinated.

Florida, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii, Louisiana and Mississippi have set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks, and the surge in the delta variant, combined with low vaccination rates, has produced a scramble to find beds for patients.

Confidence in vaccines to withstand virus variants has not waned, either, as U.S. health officials this week announced plans to dispense booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection. The doses could begin next month.