Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine becomes 2nd to be fully approved by the FDA

(Image credit: JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

published 31 January 2022

A second COVID-19 vaccine has been fully approved in the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday fully approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna for those over the age of 18. That makes the Moderna vaccine, which will be marketed as Spikevax, the second fully-approved coronavirus vaccine in the U.S. after the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech was approved in August 2021.

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Though the Moderna vaccine was already being administered under an emergency use authorization, even more data is required for a vaccine to earn full FDA approval. For that reason, Woodcock said the vaccine's approval "may instill additional confidence in making the decision to get vaccinated." Data has shown that Moderna's vaccine is safe and effective against COVID-19 and that a booster dose provides protection against the Omicron variant.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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