A milestone in COVID-19

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which will now be known as Comirnaty, for the prevention of the COVID-19 virus in individuals 16 years and older.

Dr. James Castillo, Cameron County health authority, said when a vaccine gets approved, it gets a trade name, and the new production will be under that name. 

The FDA approved the Comirnaty vaccine on Aug. 23. Previously, it was available under emergency use authorization.

Castillo said it does not change anything about the formula of the vaccine or its availability, it just confirms that the Comirnaty vaccine that is already being used has met all of the requirements to receive the FDA approval. 

“A lot of that new stock that’s under the brand name is already making its way into the market, and it’s still free,” he said. “The government is the one who is purchasing it.”

Asked what the difference is between the vaccine among the age groups, Castillo replied that for those 12 and older, it is the same vaccine that is used for adults. 

“The issue is for those people under 12,” he said. “A different dose is being studied for the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccine.”

Castillo said Pfizer was able to get it approved sooner than Moderna because the company got a head start in terms of timing based on its experience. 

“It’s a partnership between Pfizer and BioNTech, and Pfizer has a tremendous history and experience in bringing these types of products to markets and doing their clinical studies,” he said. “And Moderna is a newer company.”

He said the FDA is going through the process of approving other COVID-19 vaccines, but the agency has not released any sort of expectation on when it is going to finish that review. 

Castillo said the mixing of vaccines has not been studied, so the person may not know if they are getting fully vaccinated or not. People should not mix any COVID-19 vaccines unless there is no choice.

“Right now, people have lots of options and lots of places they can go to get these vaccines,” he said.

Esmeralda Guajardo, Cameron County health administrator, said she hopes that this approval will increase vaccination rates. 

“I’m hoping that everyone [who] isn’t vaccinated is because of the fear and their confusion in terms of the emergency agreement and the safety of [the vaccine],” Guajardo said. 

She said it is almost like giving a stamp of approval and some reassurance to those people.  

“That’s what it means, but it translates to saving lives,” Guajardo said, regarding the FDA’s action. “The vaccine is showing to be very effective in keeping people from getting sick and being in the hospital. And, so, I hope people see that for its value.”

She said people should be able to make the decision to get the vaccine to protect themselves.

“So, right now, I think we’re plateauing on the vaccination rate,” Guajardo said. “And it’s heartbreaking because, at the same time, yesterday we reported 13 deaths, and 11 of the 13 were not vaccinated. I really don’t know what else we can do for people to get vaccinated. But, at the same time, there’s a seatbelt law. It’s meant to save lives, you know. We have to follow it. It’s the same thing with vaccines. It’s meant to save lives. There’s nothing to tell them to follow it, either. It’s a tough one.” 

Destiny Hernandez, an integrated health science sophomore, is fully vaccinated and believes the approval of the Comirnaty vaccine is good. 

“I think more people are going to get the vaccine now that it’s fully approved,” Hernandez said. 

Asked if the county should mandate the COVID-19 vaccines, the sophomore replied that it is everyone’s right to choose if they want to get it. 

“I got it because I wanted to,” Hernandez said. “Everyone has a choice. They can make their own choice.”

Dante Sanchez, an exercise science freshman, said he received the Comirnaty vaccine a while ago and was not aware that it got approved. 

“I feel like it’s better because when I got the vaccine, I was unsure, but now that they approved the vaccine 100%, I feel confident about everything else,” Sanchez said. 

He said UTRGV should mandate the COVID-19 vaccines. 

“If you were to [mandate the] vaccine, it’s like you have to have it in order to be on the campus so that other people feel safe, rather than someone walking on campus, and they’re not vaccinated, and you can’t even tell if they might be carrying [the coronavirus],” Sanchez said. “So, you’re putting yourself at risk and others around you, too.” 

Mario Castillo, an engineering technology junior, said the vaccine approval will make people more comfortable and improve the way they will go on with their lives.  

“[Students are] going to feel more safe coming to school because even some of my classes look really empty right now,” Mario Castillo said. “My professors have told me that a lot of people didn’t register, so I think it is going to help us.” 

He said they should make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory so students can feel safe coming to school. 

“It’s not fair for some people to try to be safe and then some other people don’t. So, I think we should all make the change together,” Mario Castillo said.