ChristianaCare Statement on FDA’s Full Approval of First COVID-19 Vaccine

Statement by ChristianaCare President and CEO Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH:

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, which will be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.

Read the full announcement from the FDA here.

This is another milestone in our battle against COVID-19 and our fight to end this pandemic.

We’ve known for months now that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, as billions of people worldwide have been fully vaccinated, and serious side effects have been extremely rare. This final step in FDA approval for the first of the COVID-19 vaccines is a symbol of what we can achieve together and addresses the concerns of those who were reluctant to get vaccinated while it was under EUA. With the current surge from the delta variant and the unvaccinated, the vaccine represents hope.

No one is more hopeful for the end of this pandemic than our caregivers, who have been working to save lives and protect our community. This vaccine approval is another sign that this marathon could one day be over—the finish line is coming into focus.

To get there, and to win this marathon, we must work together. We must get enough people vaccinated—everywhere—until the virus has few opportunities left to spread. That is the way out of the pandemic.

We call on everyone who is not yet vaccinated to take this important step today — to protect yourself, your family and the people around you. Amid the challenges and hardships, the grief and suffering of the past year and a half, we have made incredible progress. In the face of the most significant global health crisis experienced in generations, humanity is gaining the upper hand—and we will triumph.