What the scientific community knows about COVID-19 has changed tremendously since we first learned about the virus late last year. As a result, new information has been coming at a fast and furious pace, and sometimes this information even contradicts what was previously thought to be true. How can we best learn about how to stay safe and healthy? Mace Rothenberg, M.D., Pfizer’s Chief Medical Officer, shares some tips about how to think critically about new information and research when it comes to COVID-19.
Tips from the video:
- SARS-CoV2 is a new variant of Coronavirus, and the medical and scientific community had no prior experience on this disease due to its unique set of symptoms and the speed it has spread.
- Medical research is not always linear - New information is constantly emerging causing medical professionals to revise the way they think about the disease. Constant new information forces researchers to come up with better understanding and more accurate insights that will help us treat and prevent this disease.
- Think critically! If you see something shared in social media, it is important to know where the information comes from and if it comes from a recognized and reliable source.
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How to stay safe and prevent the spread.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has not been approved or licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but has been authorized for emergency use by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for use in individuals 12 years of age and older. The emergency use of this product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of the medical product under Section 564(b)(1) of the FD&C Act unless the declaration is terminated or authorization revoked sooner. Please see EUA Fact Sheet here.
