SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. Healthcare workers say they feel relief after receiving the coronavirus vaccine.
The group finished its review of the vaccine and the federal process of approving it on Saturday night. The workgroup, made up of scientists and health experts from California, Washington, Nevada and Oregon, endorsed "the transparency and objectivity of the process, and the rigor, validity and reliability of the federal analyses" of the Moderna vaccine, according to a press release.
"While California is in some of the darkest days of our COVID-19 surge, with too many families grieving lost loved ones, there is light as more vaccines are approved for distribution. With the Moderna vaccine in circulation, we have another tool to fight this deadly disease. I am grateful to the best-in-the-nation scientific experts who lent their time and expertise to ensuring that Californians can have confidence in the safety and efficacy of these vaccines," Governor Gavin Newsom said in the press release.
This is the second vaccine approved by the workgroup, the first being the Pfizer vaccine, which has already been given to healthcare workers across California and the United States.
"While disease activity remains high and our ICUs remain near capacity, we are hopeful that the introduction of another COVID vaccine will get us much closer to defeating this virus," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said.
The COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup was created in October in California and is made up of nationally acclaimed scientists and health experts who specialize in immunization and public health. Washington, Oregon and Nevada joined in October, adding more scientists and experts to the group.
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