Pfizer and the German immunotherapy company BioNTech began working together on the COVID-19 vaccine in March 2020.
The two companies began investigatingmRNAvaccines together in 2018 to fightinfluenza.
When Was Pfizer’s Vaccine Officially Approved?
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How It Works
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is an mRNA vaccine, similar to the one developed byModerna.
An mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine uses a single-stranded molecule that complements a strand of your DNA.
This triggers an immune response.
How Was Pfizer’s Vaccine Tested?
The clinical trial investigated how well two 30-microgram doses given 21 days apart worked in preventing COVID-19.
How Effective Is It?
The Pfizer vaccine has performed very well in clinical trials.
How to Get It
The first Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses were given on December 14, 2020.
The CDC is leading vaccination efforts and all orders of the COVID-19 vaccines go through the agency.
COVID-19 vaccines are available in the U.S.
Check your state health department and go tovaccinefinder.orgto find a site near you.
All doses purchased by the U.S. government are free.
Who Can Get the Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine?
Everyone 6 months and older can receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
It was later expanded to include adolescents ages 12 to 15 and children ages 6 months to 11 years.
The vaccine remained under EUA for children and adolescents 6 months to 11 years old.
The CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists each recommend that people who are pregnant get vaccinated.
Immunocompromised people have a higher risk of being hospitalized, becoming severely ill, or dying from COVID-19.
The FDA has also authorized an additional dose of the vaccine for certain immunocompromised persons.
Who Is Eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech Booster?
The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get vaccinated with the updated 2023-2024 formula.
In August 2022,updated, bivalent boostersfrom Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna received EUA from the FDA.
These updated vaccines were designed to protect against both the original strain of the virus and newer Omicron variants.
The bivalent vaccines eventually replaced the original vaccine for all doses.
Then in September 2023, the FDA authorized the updated 2023-2024 vaccine formulas from both Pfizer and Moderna.
The most common effects were tiredness and headache.
Less than 20% of the people who were vaccinated reported a fever after the second dose.
Another four people in the trial died, but they had received the placebo, not the vaccine.
Although it’s rare, serious allergic reactions can occur after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
Most cases occurred within 15 minutes of vaccination and no deaths were reported.
What Are Adverse Reactions?
For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
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