Medical experts recommend emergency approval of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine in US

BRITAIN-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINE
A pharmacy technician holds a vial as she simulates the preparation of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine
POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Medical experts have recommended emergency approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in the US.

The Pfizer jab has already been approved for the public in the UK, Canada, Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia.

Vaccinations could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug Administration signs off on the medical expert committee's recommendation.

The recommendation comes a day after the US recorded more than 3,000 deaths in the latest 24-hour period, which is the highest total in a single day anywhere in the world.

In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the government medical advisers concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use.

Despite all the remaining unknowns, in an emergency, "the question is whether you know enough," said panel member Dr Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who concluded that the vaccine's potential benefits outweigh its risks.

The independent review by non-government experts in vaccine development, infectious diseases and medical statistics was considered critical to boosting Americans' confidence in the safety of the shot, which was developed at breakneck speed less than a year after the virus was identified.

Pfizer has said it will have about 25 million doses of the two-shot vaccine for the US by the end of December. But the initial supplies will be reserved primarily for health care workers and nursing home residents, with other vulnerable groups next in line until ramped-up production enables shots become to widely available on demand - something that will probably not happen until the spring.

The FDA next week will review a second vaccine, from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, that appears about as protective as Pfizer-BioNTech's shot.

A third candidate, from Johnson & Johnson, which would require just one dose, is working its way through the pipeline. Behind that is a candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

US health experts are hoping a combination of vaccines will ultimately enable the US to conquer the outbreak. But experts estimate at least 70 per cent of the US population will have to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, the point at which the virus can be held in check.

That means it could be several months before things start to get back to normal and Americans can put away their masks.

All eyes now turn to the FDA staff scientists who will make the final decision on whether to press ahead with widespread use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

FDA's vaccine director Dr Peter Marks said ahead of the expert meeting that a decision would come within "days to a week". 

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