Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine cleared the emergency-use hurdle Friday (File photo)
The light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel just got a little brighter.
The first Covid vaccine cleared the emergency-use hurdle Friday. (Photo: Pfizer)
Friday night, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to Pfizer's vaccine against the disease, clearing the way for the first doses to be given to health-care workers, front-line workers and vulnerable populations, perhaps within days.
State health officials laid out the plan Friday for prioritizing who among Michigan's 10 million people will get priority for novel coronavirus vaccines, knowing that in the first few weeks and months, supply will be limited.
Michigan is expected to receive 84,825 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine created by Pfizer and its German-based partner BioNTech as soon as it clears the final regulatory hurdle.
While the Pfizer vaccine has been found "strongly effective" in preventing infection from the novel coronavirus, its approval has been dogged by politics. Earlier Friday, reports emerged that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had told FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn that if his agency didn't approve the vaccine this weekend, he could be removed from his job.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement Friday night, saying in part:
“This is great news for our families, frontline workers, small businesses, and economy. In Michigan, a state built on hard work and innovation, a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will be manufactured by Michigan workers at a Michigan business. I want to thank all of our dedicated Pfizer employees for their hard work. My administration, led by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, is developing a plan to distribute the vaccine, with a focus on our most vulnerable populations.
Noting that it will take time to get the vaccine distributed, Whitmer added:
"... we must all continue to do our part by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing our hands frequently.”
