It's a big development on the COVID vaccine front: The FDA on Monday gave full approval to the Pfizer shots, reports the AP. The vaccine had previously been granted an emergency-use waiver, and winning full approval—it's the first vaccine to do so—could have wide-ranging implications.
- New name: "The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty, for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older," says the FDA statement. The vaccine will continue to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for those ages 12 to 15.
- More mandates: Full approval is expected to encourage more employers and institutions to require vaccinations, reports CNN. Of the 172 million in the US who are fully vaccinated, more than 92 million have the Pfizer shots.
- Booster shots: As USA Today notes, the development also could pave the way for booster shots, because doctors would be able to prescribe such shots in "off label" fashion.