By Chris Greenspon
LAist
Published Aug 3, 2021 2:46 PM

You might know someone who says they're waiting for the FDA to take COVID-19 vaccines off "Emergency Use Only" status before they get the shot. Experts say there's no reason to wait.

"I think everyone should take great heart in the fact that we have had now hundreds of millions of doses of these vaccines being closely monitored for side effects, [and] finding that they really are effective vaccines, and that they really have very few side effects," said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, an epidemiologist at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health.

Bottom line: Kim-Farley says anyone still unvaccinated should be more worried about the effects of getting sick with COVID-19 than any potential vaccine side effects.

Pfizer has submitted paperwork for full authorization, and the FDA has fast-tracked the process, but it could still take several months.

This report is reprinted with permission from Southern California Public Radio. © 2021 Southern California Public Radio. All rights reserved.