With the @US_FDA releasing its analysis of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine ahead of the December 10th meeting, today I want to directly address those of you who may be hesitant to take a vaccine because you have questions about how quickly this came to be. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/08/fda-pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-safe-443587

There have been decades of research on coronaviruses broadly. So starting last January with the release of the genetic sequence of the virus that causes COVID-19, researchers the world over immediately jumped on how to best approach this virus using vaccine technology.

From there, and long before any of these vaccine candidates come close to any humans, they are tested repeatedly in laboratories and on animals to see which candidates demonstrated the most effective and safe early results.

Once a vaccine passes early safety protocols, clinical trials begin. These trials with people are rigorously evaluated, meticulously documented and reviewed extensively by Institutional Review Boards to ensure scientific validity and protect participating individuals.

Three phases of human trials are conducted to identify common short-term side effects and risks, the relationship between the dosage size and the immune response, and a comparison to the placebo group.

The @US_FDA considers itself to have the safest, most thorough review processes in the world. They take tens of thousands of pages of raw information and combs through it again, to never rely on any conclusion the company came to.

I’ve said it before and I'll say it again: Illinois will only distribute a vaccine that's deemed safe. We're one of many states that have established additional review panels. Our Illinois team is already poring over analysis released by @US_FDA on @pfizer's vaccine this morning.

We all want to make sure this vaccine is safe, and additional sets of eyes on the evidence can only be helpful.