FDA approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in United States, Donald Trump says first shots in ‘less than 24 hours’

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has authorised the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, with the first inoculations expected within days, marking a turning point in the United States where the pandemic has killed more than 292,000 people.

The FDA granted an emergency use authorisation for the vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech, which was shown to be 95 per cent effective in preventing the disease in a late-stage trial.

The FDA said the vaccine can be given to people aged 16 and older.

Healthcare workers and elderly people in long-term care facilities are expected to be the main recipients of a first round of 2.9 million doses.

US President Donald Trump said the vaccines would be free for all Americans and the first shots would be administered in “less than 24 hours”.

“We want our senior citizens, healthcare workers and first responders to be first in line,” he said.

“This will quickly and dramatically reduce deaths and hospitalisations.”

Mr Trump said the vaccine had already been distributed across the country and state leaders would decide who would get the vaccinations.

The vaccine comes with complex distribution challenges as it must be shipped and stored at -70 degrees Celsius, requiring specialised ultra-cold freezers or supplies of dry ice.

The emergency use approval comes after vaccinations with the Pfizer candidate started in the United Kingdom this week.

Canada, Bahrain and Mexico have also approved it for emergency use.

The FDA authorisation comes at a time when infections, hospitalisations and deaths are soaring to record levels in the United States, which has failed to mount a coordinated effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Earlier this week, the one-day COVID-19 death total topped 3,000, while hospital intensive care units across the country are nearing capacity, threatening to overwhelm healthcare systems.

The emergency use authorisation was expected after a panel of independent expert advisers voted overwhelmingly to endorse the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The FDA is also considering a vaccine by Moderna, which could receive emergency authorisation as soon as next week.

ABC