The Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and older, marking the first of three available US vaccines to be granted the status following their initial approval for emergency use.

The move is likely to set off a wave of vaccine requirements at businesses and institutions whose policies relied on the FDA’s full approval, and could push hesitant Americans who have waited for the FDA to weigh in before they got their jab.

“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. “While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved Covid-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.”

While more than 170 million Americans have received at least two shots of Covid-19 vaccines, the FDA recognises that “for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated,” she said.

The US Department of Defense will require vaccines for more than 1 million active service members, pending full approval. The state of Oregon has also issued a requirement for state workers.

Universities across the US have implemented vaccine policies pending the full FDA approval, and United Airlines will require employees to be vaccinated within five weeks of the FDA’s move.

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