The long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine is now heading across the country and beyond from Pfizer headquarters right here in Michigan and offering frontline workers and at-risk individuals a shield against the virus. This is something all Michiganians can take pride in, and it's a much-needed shot of good news.
Thanks to the unprecedented partnership between the federal government and drug makers, the two-stage vaccine is the country's best hope of slowing the spread of COVID and getting us back to normal life.
Some, however, are worried that the vaccine has been rushed and isn't safe. But those with doubts need to listen to what health officials are saying and then get in line for the vaccine once it's more widely available.
President Donald Trump has been constantly excoriated for his handling of the coronavirus response, but his administration's goal to deliver 300 million doses of a vaccine by January 2021 through "Operation Warp Speed" is on the way to being fulfilled.
Trump and his administration should get credit for working in conjunction with private companies to bring a vaccine to the public in just 10 months — the previous record was four years for the mumps inoculation.
This summer the federal government promised to buy millions of doses from Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies and pledged billions of dollars in funding along the way.
The government similarly committed to buying 100 million doses of the upcoming Moderna vaccine, and pledged up to $1.5 billion in funding to scale up manufacturing.
We applaud the brilliant scientists at Pfizer for surmounting the challenging development process and completing the rigorous testing phases necessary to prove the safety and efficacy of the vaccine to the FDA.
After an independent evaluation by scientific and public health experts at the FDA, the agency last week issued an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's vaccine.
"With science guiding our decision-making, the available safety and effectiveness data support the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine because the vaccine's known and potential benefits clearly outweigh its known and potential risks," said Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement.
The FDA evaluated the continuing randomized international study and found the Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective.
While it's not a full-fledged licensure, the approval given to Pfizer's vaccine signals the nation's top career scientists and public health experts are confident the inoculation is safe and effective.
Whatever your political persuasion, trust the hard work of all the professionals, including many in Michigan, who have worked tirelessly to save lives. Get the vaccine when it becomes available.
