The Los Angeles Post

Biden used the announcement to urge the unvaccinated to stop waiting and get the shots

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The full FDA approval is a chance to step up the messaging, and President Biden quickly gave remarks after the move on Monday, calling on unvaccinated Americans who have been waiting to get the shots to get vaccinated “today.”

Biden called the FDA’s full approval for the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech earlier on Monday a “key milestone” in the fight against the virus, and said it takes away any final excuse for not getting vaccinated.

“After a strict process the FDA has reaffirmed its findings that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective and the FDA has given its full and final approval,” Biden said. “So let me say this loudly and clearly: If you’re one of the millions of Americans who said that they will not get the shot until it has full and final approval of the FDA, it has now happened.”

 

And more people could now be mandated to get the shots through their employers

The full federal approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Monday immediately, as expected, led to new vaccination mandates by government entities, a development that suggests more could be coming.

Immediately after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to the vaccine Monday, New York City announced that all public school teachers and staff will be required to get the shot. The Pentagon later confirmed that it would move forward with a vaccine mandate for military service members.

Biden administration officials believe that the private sector will follow suit.

“For businesses and universities that have been thinking about putting vaccine requirements in place in order to create safer spaces for people to work and learn, I think that this move from the FDA, when it comes, will actually help them to move forward with those kinds of plans,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN on Sunday, prior to the FDA announcement.

A few dozen corporations, including Microsoft, Tyson Foods, Walt Disney and Netflix, announced vaccine requirements after the Biden administration mandated vaccinations for federal employees late last month.

More companies will implement their own vaccine requirements following the FDA decision, said Michelle Strowhiro, a lawyer at McDermott Will & Emery who advises businesses on COVID-19 employment issues.