The Food and Drug Administration Advisory panel approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Dec. 10, greenlighting vaccination efforts for priority groups including frontline health care workers, pharmacists and residents at long-term care facilities, the American Pharmacists Association reports.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has requested that health care department vaccinations be staggered to prevent widespread adverse effects across health care personnel, which could cause short staffing issues. This round of vaccinations will be limited in quantity with more expected for the wider population in the coming months.
States will play a crucial role in vaccination efforts and have been requested to follow the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to determine who will receive the vaccine first. Of course, health care workers and older persons with high co-morbidity risks will be prioritized over adults and children.
The subsequent approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been welcome unanimously by senior politicians on the state and federal level following a year-long battle against the coronavirus which has claimed over 300,000 lives.
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