On Monday, August 23, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Until now, Pfizer’s version of the vaccine has been in the testing phase. Now, the company’s offering is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be FDA approved.
The vaccine was originally fast tracked due to the severity of the worldwide pandemic, which instilled worry in a large portion of people when it came time to receive the vaccine. Many refused to get it when it was initially released for the public because it was still in the testing phase. However, we now have the option to receive a vaccine that has been officially approved. This will give security and peace of mind to those originally concerned about after effects of getting the vaccine.
Symptoms after the shot have been proven to be minimal, including allergic reactions, injection site pain, tiredness, headaches, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, injection site swelling, injection site redness, nausea, feeling unwell, diarrhea, vomiting, arm pain, and in the most severe cases myocarditis and pericarditis. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis is inflammation of the lining outside of the heart. Though these are the most severe side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, they rarely occur.
While it’s been officially approved, the vaccine will only be allowed to be distributed to those 16 and older unless an “Emergency Use Authorization” (EUA) has been administered. An EUA is for those who are severely immune-compromised and need the vaccine between the ages of 12 and 15.
In addition to the shot, boosters may be administered in the months to come to help strengthen the initial shots. These boosters could potentially start being administered on September 20. Those who received the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech shots eight months ago are currently the only ones eligible for the boosters. As of now, these shots have not been approved. However, the FDA is attempting to gather as much data as possible about any effects the shots may have.