Roberto Ortega, 16, is awaiting the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine administered by AltaMed Health Services registered nurse Amy Berecz-Ortega in Los Angeles, California, on August 17, 2021.
Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images
A key advisory group for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unanimously approved Monday the full approval of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine and BioNTech for Americans over the age of 16.
The approval of the agency’s vaccination practice advisory committee comes a week after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the shooting. This approval, the first in the United States to win the coveted designation, spurred a new wave of vaccine mandates from private corporations and schools across the country.
While the recommendation is not binding, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to accept the group’s endorsement shortly.
Prior to full approval, the mRNA vaccine, which is marketed as Comirnaty, was on the U.S. market under an emergency use authorization granted by the FDA in December. Since then, more than 209 million shots of Pfizer have been administered, according to data compiled by the CDC.
The vaccine is still under a US for children ages 12 to 15, as the company collects more data. Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, said last week that the agency would get up and running as quickly as possible by approving the shot for children under 12 once the company submits the data.
Pfizer and BioNTech are also asking federal regulators to approve a third dose as a booster shot for all eligible Americans as the effectiveness of the vaccine decreases. President Joe Biden said Friday that U.S. regulators are considering administering Covid booster shots five months after people finish their main vaccines.
The CDC advisory group is expected to discuss the need for booster injections later Monday. Slides posted before a presentation at the meeting said the data needed to properly assess booster shots for the general population is limited.