Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine [Image courtesy of Wikipedia]
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) announced today that the U.S. government has purchased another 200 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine.
Media outlets including CNN and the Financial Times cited a Biden administration official saying the additional doses are needed to vaccinate children under 12, pending FDA authorization, plus the potential need for additional booster shots against variants. In a recent CNN interview, President Joe Biden predicted that the government will OK vaccines for young children in the next few months; Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told a Senate panel that it could be by early winter.
Pfizer and BioNTech expect to deliver the additional doses from October 2021 through April 2022, bringing the total doses purchased by the U.S. government for the American public to 500 million. In addition, the U.S. is buying 500 million doses for the world’s poorest countries.
“As a long-term partner to the U.S. government in the fight against this pandemic, we are proud of the impact of vaccination efforts across the country. Vaccines have been and will remain critical to protecting lives against this devastating disease,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a news release. “These additional doses will help the U.S. government ensure broad vaccine access into next year.”