Here’s what FDA approval of the Pfizer COVID vaccine could mean for Charlotte
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, offering hope that the key endorsement will improve local vaccination rates.
Pfizer’s became the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved.
N.C. doctors say they hope the approval will persuade more Mecklenburg County residents to get the vaccine, especially as COVID-19 trends surge in the area.
The FDA approval could also mean businesses will be more willing to require the vaccine for employees, she said.
“We’re still at a dangerous point in this pandemic with hospitalizations and cases still on the incline,” Atrium Health infectious disease expert Dr. Katie Passaretti said. “The news this morning was much, much anticipated.”
The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for people age 16 and older. The vaccine is still available for people age 12 to 15 under the emergency-use authorization.
The approved vaccine will be marketed as Comirnaty, according to the FDA.
“The data has long shown that the vaccine is safe and effective,” a Novant Health infectious disease expert, Dr. David Priest, said in a video statement Monday afternoon. “For us in health care, it’s really a moment to celebrate.”
The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have not yet received FDA approval.
Moderna applied for FDA approval in early June, one month after Pfizer’s application. Johnson & Johnson has not yet submitted its application.
Passaretti said she and other doctors have heard many patients say they were waiting on full FDA approval before getting the vaccine.
“Hopefully this will be seen as a good move in the right direction and will provide some people with comfort in the vaccines,” she said.
Nearly half of Mecklenburg County residents are still unvaccinated.
And COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been rising in Mecklenburg and across the state for weeks, fueled by the increase of cases of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.
“We really hope (the FDA approval) is one step toward removing some of that vaccine hesitancy so our communities can get vaccinated and keep people healthy,” Priest said.
Both of Charlotte’s hospital systems, Atrium Health and Novant Health, announced COVID-19 vaccine requirements in late July.
Atrium Health will require all workers — including remote workers, physicians, medical residents, faculty, fellows, trainees, contractors, medical staff, students, temporary workers and volunteer staff — to get vaccinated or have an approved medical or religious exemption by Oct. 31.
Novant Health will require the same for all of its employees, contractors, vendors and students by Sept. 15.
Passaretti said it’s possible that additional businesses will begin requiring COVID-19 vaccines for employees following the FDA approval.
More than 90% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, showing the effectiveness of vaccines in protecting against severe disease, she said.
“Every person vaccinated is a step in the right direction,” she said.
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 1:15 PM.
.jpg)