The COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were released faster than any vaccine in history.  Luckily for people in the U.S., that speed didn’t replace integrity. 

The COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated extensively in large-scale clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires rigorous safety testing before it will approve any vaccine. Tens of thousands of people from many backgrounds and ages, including Oregonians, participated in vaccine testing. 

Even though vaccines were approved quickly by use of an Emergency Use Authorization, the safety testing performed by the manufacturer generated sufficient evidence to convince the FDA that the vaccines were safe and effective. 

Learn more at https://covidvaccine.oregon.gov.

This article first appeared in the Jan. 20, 2021 issue of Oregon Coronavirus Update.