The Food and Drug Administration plans to give its approval for the public use of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine ahead of its originally planned. Sources familiar with the matter said the agency is under pressure to provide the approval as the U.S. faces a new surge of infections.
The FDA is reportedly aiming to complete the approval process by the start of next month. The target is in line with a statement made by U.S. President Joe Biden last week, where he said he expects Pfizer's vaccine to be approved by early fall.
Sources said the FDA initially planned to give its approval by Labor Day. However, the new rise in infections has forced it to advance its schedule. The regulator believes a full approval of the vaccine should improve the public's confidence in vaccines, leading to more inoculations. Most of the vaccines currently being used in the U.S. were given the green light by the FDA through an emergency authorization.
Final approval is given only after thorough testing and research. The FDA stated that an early approval of Pfizer-BioNTech's candidate could help provide accurate information regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines, while also clarifying legal issues surrounding their distribution.
A poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that three out of every 10 unvaccinated adults in the U.S. are only willing receive a fully approved product.
The non-profit organization said that some of those that were surveyed were unfamiliar with the regulatory approval process and most may have been using the reasoning as justification to not get vaccinated.
Since the pharmaceutical company submitted its application in May, the FDA has been pressured by the public and health experts to conduct a speedy approval process. Health experts and some politicians have previously accused the FDA of not showing any sense of urgency in approving the vaccine despite the apparent need.
As of this week, about 192 million Americans, or roughly 58% of the population, have received at least one vaccine dose. However, those unvaccinated still remain vulnerable to the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is rapidly spreading throughout the country. The average infection rate in the U.S. has now surpassed 86,000 cases per day, a 142% increase in just two weeks.
