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Will the FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine change your mind on getting the shot?

By Wesley LeBlanc wesley@opcfla.com
Posted 9/1/21

CLAY COUNTY – The Food and Drug Administration officially approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after it was allowed following months of an emergency use authorization policy.

Many have said one …

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Will the FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine change your mind on getting the shot?


Posted

CLAY COUNTY – The Food and Drug Administration officially approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine after it was allowed following months of an emergency use authorization policy.

Many have said one of the reasons they haven’t received the vaccine yet is because it hasn’t been approved by the FDA. Now that it has, Clay Today asked its readers on Facebook if the new approval changes their beliefs. Many explained they would still not be getting the vaccine, even as COVID-19 continues to surge in Florida.

“Nope,” Brittany Hill said. “FDA approval means as much time as a fly on a rhino’s tush.”

Out of more than three dozen other replies, 22 people said despite the FDA approval, they still will refuse to get the vaccine. Most didn’t give a reason. Some said the FDA approval was for a drug that’s not been created yet. (This is false — the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine.) Others said it was only approved for continued emergency use. This is missing some key context.

The Pfizer vaccine has been FDA approved for use with anyone 16 and older. It is still operating under emergency use for patients between ages 12 and 15, and that’s because Pfizer only opened up its vaccine to those at 12 years earlier this year. It’s still being tested and used under emergency use authorization, and considering the Pfizer vaccine was FDA approved for anyone 16 or older, the vaccine likely will receive full FDA approval for those 12 and older.

Some replies said the Pfizer vaccine wasn’t FDA approved, claiming the Comirnaty vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech were approved. That is also missing some context. The context is that the Comirnaty is the same vaccine as the Pfizer vaccine. It just received a simple name change.

Some people used the FDA approval of Pfizer’s vaccine is why they feel safer after receiving both doses.

“I had the Pfizer vaccine as soon as I could get it and [I’m] very glad I did as it made actually getting COVID-19 bearable,” Kathleen Gaston said.

Eric Newcom said his entire family has been vaccinated as of March and they’ve had no risks of complications from COVID-19 since.

How do you feel about the Pfizer vaccine now that it’s been FDA-approved? How do you feel about the other available vaccines? Let us know by responding to last week’s Facebook Question of the Week and be sure to follow the official Clay Today Newspaper Facebook page so you don’t miss this week’s question.