Full FDA approval could drive COVID-19 vaccinations, but experts advise against waiting

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's latest vaccine monitor report, 32% of adults in the US unvaccinated for COVID-19 are waiting for full FDA approval of a vaccine before getting it, ABC News reported on Sunday.

William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said that "to think that that approval process is going to be the be-all and end-all is misguided to me."

Moss said that with nearly 300 million doses administered in the US, "there's nothing about that review process that's going to reveal anything we don't know."

Both Pfizer and Moderna have said their vaccines continued to offer strong protection against COVID-19 at six months after a second dose, including against emerging variants, while reporting no serious safety concerns.

"I think we will see an opening up of more vaccine mandates by employers or other institutions, even perhaps government institutions," Moss said, adding that "I think they will feel more comfortable mandating that their employees get vaccinated, obviously with certain rules about exemptions, after a full approval."