WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A White House plan to offer COVID-19 booster shots will most likely start this month only with the vaccine made by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, a narrower initiative than anticipated, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.
President Joe Biden had expected to launch a campaign to administer 100 million booster shots on Sept. 20. But U.S. vaccine makers other than Pfizer have lagged in seeking authorization of an additional dose.
Johnson & Johnson has not yet asked regulators to approve a booster for its one-dose shot, and last week said it was in discussions with the FDA on the subject. As infections from the Delta variant rise, the Biden administration is concerned that COVID infections among people who are fully vaccinated are a sign that vaccine protection is waning. It has pushed boosters as a way to rebuild immunity.
Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner, and Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, told White House COVID coordinator Jeffrey Zientz on Thursday their agencies may be able recommend boosters by late September only for certain recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the source familiar with the discussions said.
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