FAA still reviewing whether pilots can take Covid vaccines

**Updated story - 15 December 2020 FAA allows Pilots and ATCs to take pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 **

In a statement issued to AVweb, the agency said it’s waiting for the outcome of an FDA committee meeting on an emergency approval for a vaccine developed by Pfizer. The meeting is scheduled for 8-10 December in Washington.

“The FAA is closely monitoring the active vaccine trials and awaiting the outcome of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee’s scheduled meeting next week,” the agency said in an email to AVweb. “While the agency has made no final decisions, we are prepared to evaluate the use of each vaccine by medical certificate holders as soon as an emergency-use authorization is issued.”

ALPA tells members not to participate in vaccine trials

Meanwhile, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is telling its members to not take part in clinical trials for vaccines because they might lose their medicals, possibly for a longer time.

“Since no trial Covid-19 vaccine has full FDA approval, the FAA considers participation in Covid-19 vaccine trials medically disqualifying for pilots for an indefinite period,” ALPA said in an article on the effects of the pandemic. “ALPA representatives are working with the FAA to better define a policy as the science evolves.”

Keeping pilots and medical crewmembers safe during the pandemic has been of paramount importance to operators around the world, and aircraft disinfection has been key to these efforts.