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Should I Worry About Vaccines Being For 'Emergency Use Only'? Experts Say No
Pfizer has submitted paperwork to get its vaccine fully authorized by the FDA. It's currently authorized for emergency use only.
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FREDERIC J. BROWN
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AFP via Getty Images
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You might know someone who says they're waiting for the FDA to take COVID-19 vaccines off "Emergency Use Only" status before they get the shot. Experts say there's no reason to wait.
"I think everyone should take great heart in the fact that we have had now hundreds of millions of doses of these vaccines being closely monitored for side effects, [and] finding that they really are effective vaccines, and that they really have very few side effects," said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, an epidemiologist at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health.
Bottom line: Kim-Farley says anyone still unvaccinated should be more worried about the effects of getting sick with COVID-19 than any potential vaccine side effects.
Pfizer has submitted paperwork for full authorization, and the FDA has fast-tracked the process, but it could still take several months.
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