CDC advisory panel urges Americans to get Pfizer coronavirus vaccine

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel voted Saturday to urge Americans to get the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer, concluding its benefits in slowing the pandemic outweigh the risk of side effects.

The CDC panel recommended the vaccine for those 16 years and older, as shipments of vaccine were deployed to hospitals and state health departments for Monday arrival.

Healthcare workers and nursing home patients are expected to be the first recipients of the inoculation  

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been declared  to be 95 percent effective after two shots. Its side effects include headaches, fatigue, muscle pain and chills that usually resolve within a few days.

The Food and Drug Administration on late Friday approved the vaccine for emergency use.