FDA confirms Pfizer vaccine safe, effective, report expected to lead to approval in coming days

The Food and Drug Administration concluded Tuesday that the coronavirus vaccine candidate from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech "met the prescribed success criteria." The FDA report is expected to result in the agency granting emergency use approval  for the vaccine in the coming days, and the companies could begin distributing the two-shot vaccination as soon as this weekend.

The analyses released by the FDA purportedly shows the vaccine's ability to reduce the risk of an individual contracting the novel coronavirus "at least seven days after Dose 2," and its capacity to reduce the severity of the virus "any time after dose 1." 

The agency said the most common side effects that came with taking the vaccine included fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, join pain, fever, and injection site reaction. Significant side effects were uncommon and especially uncommon in adults older than 55.