Governors pin hopes on full vaccine approval as cases climb

LITTLE ROCK (AP) — As U.S. regulators weigh giving the final stamp of approval for certain Covid-19 vaccines, governors in states hard hit by the pandemic hope the move will help persuade the many holdouts in their states to finally get the shot.

The governors of Arkansas and Ohio — where cases and hospitalizations are climbing — have appealed publicly in recent days for full approval, saying it would help combat vaccine hesitancy and could also clear the way for more businesses to require their employees to be inoculated.

It's a topic that Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has confronted as he holds town halls throughout Arkansas, which leads the nation in new cases per capita but has one of the lowest vaccination rates. Only about 35% of the state's population is fully vaccinated.

"Anytime you have low vaccination rates, you want to eliminate every objection that people have, and one of the objections that's been expressed is that this is only approved under emergency use authorization," said Hutchinson, who also recently took over as chairman of the National Governors Association.

All three vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. went through a fast-track approval process — but that didn't skip the normal massive testing required of any vaccine. Pfizer and Moderna have applied for full approval, and a Pfizer decision is expected soon.

The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were studied in tens of thousands of people to show they prevented symptomatic coronavirus infections — especially serious illness —- and that they were safe. Once widespread use began, the

Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention beefed up usual surveillance to catch any side effects too rare to have occurred in even those large studies.

The FDA's acting commissioner, Dr. Janet Woodcock, was asked by a Senate committee this week about people hesitant to get a vaccine that wasn't fully approved.

"We did not cut any corners," she replied. "Compared to other vaccines they'd be looking at, these have really gotten the fullcourt press as far as evaluation and study."

In Ohio, with less than half the population vaccinated, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has been exhausting every avenue to get shots in people's arms. The state recently completed a five-week $1 million lottery drawing for adults or a full-ride scholarship to a Ohio university for those under 18 who receive their first Covid-19 shot.

Last week, DeWine announced plans for an incentive that gives smaller amounts of money to increase the odds of more people winning. But that's on hold as the governor and his administration urge full FDA approval to appease a segment of the unvaccinated community who might budge.

"That is one of the stated reasons that we hear most often from people who are not getting vaccinated," DeWine said of his conversations with residents across the state. "And my concern is that the FDA not moving from emergency use to full approval, some people are not being vaccinated who would be vaccinated and those people are going to die."