President Trump tweets the Moderna vaccine has been 'overwhelmingly approved'

President Trump on Friday morning tweeted that the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, which received FDA panel approval on Thursday afternoon, has been "overwhelmingly"approved and that distribution will begin immediately.

The Food and Drug Administration panel found the vaccine safe and effective for emergency use, and full and final agency approval is expected by Friday. Whether Trump's tweet was referring to the panel or final approval is unclear.

The Moderna vaccine was developed in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health as a part of the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed.

Its approval would follow the approval of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech vaccine, which began U.S. distribution earlier this week.