Health Officials Hope FDA's Full Approval Of Pfizer COVID Vaccine Will Convince Holdouts
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- Bay Area public health officials are hoping the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's full approval of the Pfizer COVID vaccine will convince the hesitant and the holdouts to get their shot.
"This approval now furthers our confidence that not only does the vaccine work it's also very safe," said Dr. Jennifer Tong who oversees Santa Clara County's testing and vaccination efforts.
The Pfizer vaccine is the first in the United States to receive the full approval of the FDA. Public health officials hope the move will bolster confidence in the vaccine's efficacy and safety.
"Social media gets you kind of brainwashed into thinking that sometimes the vaccine can be bad," said resident Dannae Gutierrez after receiving her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the mass vaccination site at the county fairgrounds.
Gutierrez says she had serious concerns about the safety of the vaccine -- fears lessened by the FDA's approval.
"I was so opposed to taking the vaccine," said Gutierrez. "But then I realized that I had to protect older people and younger people as well. And that's the main initiative of why I took it."
Labor attorneys say the FDA's approval may give more companies the green light to require their employees to get vaccinated.
"The question mark about these vaccines was, could you mandate under an emergency use authorization?" said UC Hastings law professor Dorit Reiss. "FDA approval removes that question and places vaccine mandates on very strong legal footing."