US Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use, 1st Shot in ‘Less Than 24 Hours’

The worst-hit country by the pandemic so far, the United States has cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine late Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration granted it an emergency use authorization. This news comes while infections across America soar as never before, with the grim milestone of 300,000 confirmed deaths fast approaching.

After Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico, the US is the sixth country to approve the two-dose regimen.

Hailing the news as a “medical miracle”, US President Donald Trump in a televised address, said the first immunizations would take place “in less than 24 hours.” “The first vaccine will be administered in less than 24 hours,” Mr Trump said.

“Through our partnership with FedEx and UPS, we have already begun shipping the vaccine to every state and zip code in the country,” the US President said, adding that governors would decide who would receive the shots first in their states.

“We want our senior citizens, health care workers and first responders to be first in line,” he said, expressing hope that “This will quickly and dramatically reduce deaths and hospitalizations.”