WASHINGTON — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday granted full approval to Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

This makes it the first in the US to win the coveted designation and giving even more businesses, schools and universities greater confidence to adopt vaccine mandates.

Since last December, more than 204 million of the Pfizer shots have been administered, as the vaccine entered the market under an Emergency Use Authorization that was granted by the FDA, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has received full approval from the FDA on Monday for use in people aged 16 and above in the country.

Notably, the American drug regulator’s move makes the Pfizer-BioNTech shot the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine to move from the emergency use authorization (EUA) phase to the fully approved stage.

“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Janet Woodcock, the acting commissioner of the FDA, in a statement.

“While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated,” she added. — Agencies