FDA approves Pfizer vaccine
August 25, 2021
Sheila Harris
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its first COVID-19 vaccine, known as the Pfizer-BioNTech, Monday. The vaccine will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), according to the press release issued by the FDA. The vaccine is for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. It continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals. Those individuals may fall into one of the following categories, although not limited to these:
· Immunocompromised due to solid organ transplant and taking immune suppressing medications
·Immunocompromised due to active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
· Immune compromised due to Receipt of CAR-T cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
· Moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (eg., DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich Syndromes)
· Immunocompromised due to Advanced or untreated HIV infection
· Immunocompromised due to “Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response: high dose corticosteroids (ie.,≥ 20 mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blocker or other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory”
The FDA’s full release pertaining to approval of the Pfizer vaccine can be found at https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine.
Barry County Health Department Administrator Roger Brock hopes the approval by FDA will give more people the confidence to take the vaccine.
“We have the Pfizer vaccine available on a walk-in basis, now, at our office in Cassville,” he said.
As of August 19, Barry County had a total of 4,008 confirmed cases of COVID, up 65 from the week prior. The deaths of two more residents from complications of COVID-19 were also reported at that time, bringing the county’s total to 66.
Every neighboring county to Barry also recorded additional deaths.
Sheila Harris
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its first COVID-19 vaccine, known as the Pfizer-BioNTech, Monday. The vaccine will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), according to the press release issued by the FDA. The vaccine is for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. It continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals. Those individuals may fall into one of the following categories, although not limited to these:
· Immunocompromised due to solid organ transplant and taking immune suppressing medications
·Immunocompromised due to active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
· Immune compromised due to Receipt of CAR-T cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
· Moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (eg., DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich Syndromes)
· Immunocompromised due to Advanced or untreated HIV infection
· Immunocompromised due to “Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response: high dose corticosteroids (ie.,≥ 20 mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blocker or other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory”
The FDA’s full release pertaining to approval of the Pfizer vaccine can be found at https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine.
Barry County Health Department Administrator Roger Brock hopes the approval by FDA will give more people the confidence to take the vaccine.
“We have the Pfizer vaccine available on a walk-in basis, now, at our office in Cassville,” he said.
As of August 19, Barry County had a total of 4,008 confirmed cases of COVID, up 65 from the week prior. The deaths of two more residents from complications of COVID-19 were also reported at that time, bringing the county’s total to 66.
Every neighboring county to Barry also recorded additional deaths.