October 8, 2021 - Yikes! Have you heard someone use the word "experimental" when talking about the COVID-19 vaccines? We get this one a lot and we want to make it very clear that COVID-19 vaccines are NOT experimental. Experimental or investigational drugs are those drugs being studied and have not yet completed clinical trials, nor received approval or authorization (https://www.fda.gov/patients/learn-about-expanded-access-and-other-treatment-options...).

COVID-19 vaccines HAVE completed clinical trials and received either Emergency Use Authorization or in the case of the Pfizer (Comirnaty) vaccine, full FDA approval.

COVID-19 vaccines DID NOT skip animal trials. Approval was given to run animal and human trials at the same time for Moderna and Pfizer (https://www.pfizer.com/...data-preclinical-studies-mrna; https://investors.modernatx.com/...new-england-journal-medicine-non).

COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials will not continue for 2 - 3 years as is often suggested. This comes from a misunderstanding of the "estimated study completion dates", which reference the continued safety monitoring after approval and roll out as is standard practice.

Want to learn more about vaccine authorization and approvals? Check out these helpful resources!

FDA Emergency Use Authorization explained - https://www.fda.gov/...emergency-use-authorization-vaccines-explained.

Count of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the US - https://www.statista.com/...covid-19-vaccinations...

FDA Full Approval for COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine - https://www.fda.gov/...fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine.

Source: Mariposa County Public Health