The Food and Drug Administration has now granted full approval to Pfizer two-dose BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and up, making it the first Covid-19 vaccine to pass this final regulatory hurdle.

The FDA says while millions of people have already safely received Covid-19 vaccines, they recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated.

South Africa’s vaccination program has until this point largely relied on the Pfizer vaccine, with millions already having received their jabs.

SAHPRA approved the emergency use of the vaccine in South Africa in March.