How Does FDA Approve Vaccines?
Voice of America
Three vaccines developed to prevent COVID-19 infections received emergency use authorization earlier this year, allowing nearly half the U.S. population to be fully vaccinated against the virus.
But while much of the population remains skeptical of vaccination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working to fully approve, or license, the three vaccines. Some experts say that this approval, which is a much longer and more complicated process, may encourage some skeptics to get vaccinated. "We recognize that for some, the FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines may bring additional confidence and encourage them to get vaccinated," Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the FDA, told VOA via email.
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Trent, left, and Victoria Warmerdam, winners of the award for best live action short film for "I'm Not a Robot," attend the Governors Ball after the Oscars on March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
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Staff at the Mission Control outside Austin, Texas celebrating as lunar lander Blue Ghost touches down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP) Private lunar lander Blue Ghost after touching down on the moon with a special delivery for NASA, March 2, 2025. (NASA/Firefly Aerospace via AP)
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The moon passes by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 spaceship on Feb. 24, 2025, in this image taken from a video. The craft is expected to land on the moon on March 2, 2025. (Firefly Aerospace on X via Reuters) Intuitive Machines' Athena lander, atop a SpaceX rocket, lifts off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 26, 2025. Athena is expected to land on the moon on March 6, 2025.