U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) issued the following statement after the FDA granted emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is now ready to ship.

“This vaccine is the pride and joy of Kalamazoo. It has been a labor of love, patriotic duty, and determination to restore our way of life and save the world,” Upton said. “I cannot reiterate enough how proud I am of southwest Michigan and all of the Michiganders part of Pfizer’s team. This is a historic accomplishment, creating a safe, effective vaccine to help end this deadly pandemic. Because of the work we did on 21^st Century Cures - which accelerated the development and discovery of medical cures and devices and helped bring treatments, cures, and vaccines to market faster and more efficiently – Pfizer’s vaccine is ready in record time and we can begin on our road to recovery. The light at the end of the tunnel is now shining bright on our community for mastering the challenge. Well done, our Pfizer faithful!”