JUST IN: FDA issues emergency authorization use of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer/ BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.

This means the vaccine will get special authorization to be used during an emergency, but it is short of a full approval. We’re told Pfizer would have to file a separate application for its vaccine to be fully licensed by the FDA.

During the committee vote on Thursday, 17 members voted yes, four voted no and one abstained. The next step in the process is getting a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sources say the advisory is set to meet this weekend to decide whether Americans should be given the vaccine.

Millions of doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which has been found to be 95% effective against the virus, will soon be shipped around the country so vaccinations can begin within days.