Pfizer Gets Full FDA Approval, Pentagon Will Mandate Vaccine

For those waiting for FDA approval before getting the vaccine, well, it's approved and the Pentagon will mandate vaccines for service members.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today, Aug. 23, approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, which will officially be known as Comirnaty and available for those 16 and older.

Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., says:

“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.

While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.” 

Following the FDA approval, The Pentagon announced it will mandate the vaccine for its service members.

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KWTX reports that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said in the past that he would seek the president’s approval to make the vaccine mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon FDA licensure. Lloyd followed through on that promise once the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says the move comes as a way to ensure the safety of those in the military. How will this sit with current military members who are anti-vax? We're about to find out.