Dec 12, 2020 - Health

CDC panel recommends Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

Jacob Knutson

A nurse preparing an injection of Pfizer-BioNtech's covid-19 vaccine in Belfast on Dec. 6. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Images via Getty Images)

A CDC panel voted 11 to 0 to recommend Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate for people 16 years and older on Saturday.

Why it matters: The recommendation moves the U.S. one step closer to immunizing Americans after the virus has killed more than 296,000 people in the country.

Of note: CDC Director Robert Redfield still needs to approve the recommendation from the the outside group of medical experts before vaccines can be administered.

He is expected to accept it within hours, CNN reports.
Three panel members recused themselves from the vote because of conflicts of interest.

The big picture: The recommendation follows the Food and Drug Administration's Friday approval of Pfizer-BioNTech's emergency use authorization application.

The U.K. became the first country to grant emergency approval for the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 2, followed by Bahrain and Canada.

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CDC panel recommends Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

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