Report: The FDA is aiming for final approval of the Pfizer vaccine by Labor Day

Several vials of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
(Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

The Food and Drug Administration is aiming to fully approve the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by Labor Day or sooner, people familiar with the matter told The New York Times.

Because of the highly contagious Delta variant, coronavirus cases are on the rise across the United States, and the hope is that a full approval will push skeptics to get inoculated. In late 2020, the FDA granted emergency authorization to the Pfizer vaccine, and the company applied for full approval on May 7. Moderna also received emergency authorization for its vaccine, and submitted its application for final approval on June 1.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.