U.S. Experts Approve Pfizer Vaccine Despite Side Effects

By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – A U.S. government advisory panel on Thursday endorsed Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, despite concerns about possible side effects.

The Food and Drug Administration was due to endorse the recommendation issued Thursday by its expert advisers. The F.D.A.’s vaccine advisory panel of scientific experts, infectious disease doctors, and statisticians concluded that the shot is “safe and effective” against COVID-19 in people 16 and older.

But Thursday’s vote wasn’t unanimous. The panel voted 17 to 4, with one member abstaining in favor of emergency authorization. It wasn’t immediately clear why some voted against the vaccine produced by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

But the vote came a day after two British people with severe allergies apparently had allergic reactions to Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine. The news overshadowed Wednesday’s launch of the Pfizer vaccination campaign in Britain, where a grandmother became the world’s first person to receive the injection officially.

Shortly before the launch, Pfizer requested and received legal indemnity from the British government. That protects it from being sued for possible side effects of its new coronavirus vaccine.

It was not revealed what triggered the allergic reactions to its jab. Allergic responses were not “a significant problem” in the U.S. trial when more than 20,000 persons received two doses of the vaccine, officials said.

But that trial kept out people with severe allergic reactions, admitted Moncef Slaoui, co-head of Operation Warp Speed – the U.S. government program for producing and distributing vaccines.

Despite the controversies, a favorable final FDA decision was due within days. Millions of shots would then ship to begin vaccinating health care workers and nursing home residents. Broader access to the general public was not expected until the spring.

Joe Biden, who claimed victory in the recent presidential election, said Tuesday he wants 100 million Americans to be vaccinated within the first 100 days of his administration.

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