FDA approval, booster shots: Local doctor weighs in on latest COVID-19 vaccine developments

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is now fully approved for Americans 16-years-old and older. More than 200 million Pfizer doses have been administered since December when the FDA granted it an emergency use authorization.

President Joe Biden hopes this convinces vaccine holdouts. Legal experts expect companies will now have an easier time requiring workers to be vaccinated. 

“The question mark about these vaccines was could you mandate under an EUA? FDA approval removes that question and places vaccine mandates on very strong legal footing," U.C. Hastings law professor Dorit Reiss said.

Some didn't waste anytime with the Pentagon, CVS, and the New York City school system announcing new mandates.

The Pfizer vaccine remains under an emergency use authorizations for those between the ages of 12 and 15, as do the vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, which are still just for those who are 18-years-old and older. 60% of Americans have gotten at least one dose of a vaccine.

As the COVID-19 situation evolves with new guidelines, new data, and new discoveries, it is natural to have questions. Dr. Jeff Pothof is the Chief Quality officer for UW Health in Madison. He joined CBS 58 Morning News to answer our coronavirus questions.