Trials Begin for COVID-19 Vaccine

By Jonathan Kim

Van Nuys High School

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine was approved by the FDA on December 10 when the FDA’s vaccine advisory panel voted 17 to 4 in favor of the vaccine, with one member abstaining. The vaccine has been authorized for 16 and older people, prioritizing health care workers, and nursing home residents. 6.4 million doses will be spread nationwide, with half being used for the initial amount and the rest being reserved for the second dose three weeks later. The vaccine was already approved in Bahrain and Britain on December 2, while Canada approved on the ninth.

Pfizer’s vaccine was 95% effective in clinical trials; however, FDA panel members have expressed concerns about a lack of data on the vaccine when administered to 16 and 17-year-olds. Members also expressed concerns about allergic reactions to the vaccine. Pfizer states that of the 44,000 participants, there were no severe allergic reactions; however, none of the people in the trials were people with a history of an allergic reaction to vaccines. Britain advised people who have had anaphylactic allergic reactions to medicines not to take vaccines. Panel member Dr. Paul Offit worried that remarks by the British government and other entities could discourage people from taking the vaccine when there is no clear correlation between the vaccine and allergic reaction. However, caution is necessary when there is a lack of firm evidence to guarantee safety.

The vaccine may have been approved prematurely. Clinical testing has confirmed that the vaccine works on healthy adults. Data on what the vaccine does to teenagers and those with a history of an allergic reaction to vaccines are essential to whether or not a vaccine would be approved or not. However, not much testing has been done in these fields, which suggests that the vaccine may have been approved prematurely.