The United States has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first drug to prevent the deadly virus approved in the US.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. FDA Commissioner Dr Stephen Hahn confirmed the development and in a statement said, "The FDA’s authorization for emergency use of the first Covid-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world."

Following the announcement, President Donald Trump in a video on Twitter hailed the development. He said the first dose would be administered in less than 24 hours. The vaccine has shown to be 95% effective in preventing the disease in a late-stage trial.

The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 292,000 in the US. The US now joins Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico to approve the two-dose regimen.

Earlier, in a tweet, Trump called the FDA a 'big, old, slow turtle, and wrote, "Get the dam vaccines out NOW, Dr Hahn. Stop playing games and start saving lives."