US CDC Advisory Committee Recommends Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Administration

On the 12th, "Vaccination for Americans aged 16 and over is acceptable" decision
CDC recommendation approval pending... Vaccinations likely to start on the 14th

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an advisory body of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommended the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on the 12th (local time).

According to CNN and other outlets, ACIP held a meeting that day and voted to recommend that Americans aged 16 and older receive the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. In the vote, all 11 attending members voted in favor of the recommendation, while 3 abstained due to conflicts of interest.

The committee recommended monitoring patients with a history of anaphylaxis or allergic reactions for 30 minutes after vaccination. Bloomberg News reported that the committee also recommended allowing pregnant or breastfeeding women and immunocompromised individuals to decide for themselves whether to receive the vaccine, given the lack of specific data on how the vaccine affects these groups.

One of the advisory members, Peter Szilagyi, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles (LA), said, "I voted in support of this vaccine because of clear evidence in the records of its efficacy and safety, as well as the documented benefits and risks."

ACIP's vaccine recommendation is a mandatory procedure that newly developed vaccines must undergo before being administered to people. Once CDC Director Robert Redfield accepts this recommendation and officially approves it, vaccinations can begin. CNN reported that Director Redfield is expected to approve ACIP's recommendation within hours.

Earlier, another government agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine the day before. The CDC can decide whether to recommend vaccine use after the FDA grants emergency use approval. If the CDC gives final approval for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on this day, vaccinations in the U.S. are expected to begin on the 14th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.