The US government has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
This is a turning point in America where the pandemic has killed more than 295,000 people since inception.
The Food and Drug Administration, FDA, approved the vaccine for emergency use for people aged 16 and older, with healthcare workers and nursing home residents expected to be the main recipients of a first round of 2.9 million doses.
President Donald Trump said the first inoculation would take place “in less than 24 hours”.
In a video message posted on Twitter, Trump said that Pfizer had “passed the gold standard of safety” and hailed the vaccine as “one of the greatest scientific accomplishments in history”.