The Food and Drug Administration officially approved the first COVID-19 vaccine on Aug. 23. Under the approval of the FDA, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will formally change its name to Comirnaty.
Pfizer-BioNTech initially used an Emergency Use Authorization, which expedites the roll out of premature vaccines in a global pandemic.
According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control statistics, 170.8 million Americans are fully vaccinated, with less than half of Americans either completely unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
“We recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated,” Janet Woodcock, the acting FDA commissioner, said.
“Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.,” Woodcock said.
As of Aug. 19, Governor Tate Reeves stated that out of three million Mississippians, 1.1 million are fully vaccinated.
“Good practices are a choice. Staying healthy is a choice. Keeping your neighbors and your coworkers healthy is a choice. Now, let’s all make the right choices,” Reeves said.
The Comirnaty vaccine is available at all local vaccination clinics.
The CDC Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices will meet on Aug. 30 to create an updated recommendation on administering the Comirnaty vaccine.
