On August 23, the FDA fully approved Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. President Biden had originally said the FDA is expected to fully approve the vaccine by fall as beforehand, the FDA had granted emergency authorization only. This vaccine was approved only 4 months after Pfizer-BioNTech had applied for licensing making it the fastest vaccine the FDA has approved in the past 100 years. Critics had originally been pressuring the FDA to speed up the approval process as many Americans were refusing to get vaccinated.
By giving final approval to this vaccine, this could increase the number of people who decide to get vaccinated which is vital as the Delta Variant is spreading rapidly and greatly affecting those who are unvaccinated. In a televised address, President Biden strongly encouraged corporations and non-profit organizations to require employees to be vaccinated. Numerous universities and hospitals are planning to make it mandatory to receive the vaccine. Furthermore, according to a poll done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 30% of unvaccinated Americans said they would be more likely to receive the vaccine once it was fully approved by the FDA.
So far, according to an analysis done by ABC, the United States have seen an increase in the number of first doses administered. There has been a 17% increase in the number of American citizens receiving the vaccine. As of now, 53% of the population is fully vaccinated but medical professionals are hoping citizens will continue to register for at least the first dose. Experts say there is going to have to be a more significant increase in vaccinations in order for the US to be fully out of the woods.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/us/politics/pfizer-vaccine-approval.html