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NEW YORK: Pfizer said on Friday (November 20) that it has applied to US health regulators for the emergency use authorization (US) of its COVID-19 vaccine, an important step in providing protection against the novel coronavirus. Americans tired of the pandemic.
The application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comes just days after Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE reported final trial results showing the vaccine was 95 percent effective. in preventing COVID-19 without major safety concerns.
READ: The vaccine will not be enough to stop the COVID-19 pandemic: WHO chief
Shares in Pfizer rose 2% and BioNTech rose 5% on news that a vaccine could be available soon, raising hopes for an end to a pandemic that has claimed more than a quarter of a million lives. in the United States and more than 1.3 million. all over the world.
The companies expect the FDA to grant the EUA in mid-December and said they will begin shipping the doses almost immediately. Pfizer has said it expects to have 50 million doses of vaccines ready this year, enough to protect 25 million people.
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An FDA advisory committee tentatively plans to meet Dec. 8-10 to discuss the vaccine, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters, though the dates could change.
Final data from the trial showed that the vaccine provided a similar level of protection across ages and ethnicities, an encouraging result as the disease disproportionately affects the elderly and minorities.
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