FDA approves COVID-19 vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave its final go-ahead to the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The move comes after an independent advisory board gave its approval on Thursday. The shot was the first coronavirus vaccine in the FDA’s approval pipeline. The agency could approve a version from Moderna Inc. next week and one from Johnson & Johnson early next year.

How soon will immunizations begin? Most Americans won’t be able to get the shot for several months as the companies scale up manufacturing, but immunization for healthcare workers and nursing home residents could start in a matter of days. The United Kingdom and Canada approved the Pfizer shot earlier this month, and European regulators will consider approval later in the month.

Dig deeper: Read Katie Gaultney’s report on the volunteers who helped test coronavirus vaccines.