Coronavirus vaccine news and updates from around the world

From CNN's Jamie GumbrechtThe US Food and Drug Administration says the potential benefits of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine outweigh the risks for 16- and 17-year-olds, Dr. Peter Marks, director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said during a news briefing on Saturday.FDA has a long history of evaluating pediatric vaccines and extrapolating data from adults to children, he said.Although teens rarely become seriously ill from Covid-19, Marks acknowledged some do become very sick and die. The vaccines are using specially designed shippers with dry ice, and they can remain refrigerated for a few days once thawed.FDA made clear in the labeling how the vaccine will need to be handled, Marks said, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Operation Warp Speed “are making sure that things are in place to make sure that the cold chain is maintained.” From CNN's Lauren MascarenhasFood and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said that the organization "is very concerned about vaccine hesitancy."The FDA has addressed the hesitancy, Hahn said, by being transparent about the science behind Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine and the process for authorizing it.Hahn said that the FDA believes in "transparency" and "the rigorous scientific review that we've done."Watch: From CNN's Maggie FoxUS Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn denied on Saturday that political pressure led to a quicker than normal decision to issue emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.The FDA issued the EUA Friday evening, a day after its Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted to recommend the authorization. “As Dr. Marks said, thousands of people are dying a day."Hear FDA commissioner's answer when asked about political pressure: From CNN's Jamie GumbrechtDr. Peter Marks, director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said during a news briefing on Saturday that there’s “been a lot of noise” about the protection provided by one dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine and whether that could help extend the vaccine supply.The FDA’s stance is that people should take two doses.