As Pfizer gets full FDA approval – Georgia Southern’s experts are in the media and getting coverage

With a fourth wave of COVID sweeping America and beyond – the Pfizer vaccine receiving full FDA approval couldn’t come at a better time according to most health experts.

And as news swept across the country, Georgia Southern University’s Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology, was front and center for media and reporters, helping to explain the importance and significance of this landmark announcement.

The green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to move Pfizer’s vaccine from emergency use to full approval Monday is a milestone in the national pandemic response, and one that comes as Georgia and much of the country battles another surge in infections and hospitalizations due to the delta variant.

More than 60% of Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and experts have long pointed to data that shows the shots are safe and effective. Still, the official thumbs-up is a significant piece of evidence to bolster that fact, said Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University.

“With this new formal approval from the FDA, the public should have the same confidence as they do with existing vaccines that we have used for years against other diseases,” Fung said. August 24, Georgia Recorder

As the COVID story progresses and advances, there will be a lot of questions that need answers and stories for journalists to tell. And if you are covering – then let us help.

Fung is available to speak with media regarding this topic — simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.