Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine gets US aviation regulator's approval after FDA

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on December 12 approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate and said that the pilots and air traffic controllers will be inoculated. The US aviation regulator said that the pilots, as well as the controllers, must neither fly nor conduct the safety-related duties for 48 hours after receiving the double-dose vaccination. 

In a statement, FAA also said that it will be monitoring the patient’s response to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine while further adjusting the policies in a bid to “ensure aviation safety”. The FAA approval came after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency use authorisation to the coronavirus vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company in collaboration with its German partner. 

FAA said in a statement, “Following the Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Pfizer, Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, the FAA has determined that pilots may receive the vaccine under the conditions of their FAA-issued airman medical certification.”

“To maintain the highest level of safety in the National Airspace System, the agency will require aviation professionals with medical certifications or medical clearances to observe a period of 48 hours following the administration of this vaccine before conducting safety-sensitive aviation duties, such as flying or controlling air traffic,” it added. 

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US allows Pfizer Covid vaccine's emergency use

On December 11, the United States gave a green signal for the use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine following similar footsteps by the UK. After UK became the first nation to approve a COVID-19 vaccine candidate to start the immunisation process, US also began what could be the beginning of the end of an outbreak that has already taken the lives of nearly 300,000 US citizens. Moreover, in the US, the first doses are expected to be inoculated in the coming week starting with the health workers and nursing home residents. 

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