Biden Administration Secures COVID-19 Booster Shots for Use This Fall

The Biden Administration is preparing for a potential coronavirus surge this fall by purchasing millions of variant-specific COVID-19 booster shots. In addition to the 105 million doses already purchased from Pfizer, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has acquired another 66 million booster doses from Moderna. 

The new shots are designed to promote immunity against the BA.5 Omicron subvariant, which is responsible for more than 90% of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Using mRNA encoding the original coronavirus and new mRNA encoding the Omicron variant, pharmaceutical companies expect to provide improved protection against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants and any subvariants that subsequently emerge. If the FDA agrees to grant emergency use authorization, the US will have immediate access to 171 million vaccine doses for individuals aged 12 and up.  

“We must stay vigilant in our fight against COVID-19 and continue to expand Americans’ access to the best vaccines and treatments,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a press release. “As we look to the fall and winter, we’re doing just that — ensuring Americans have the tools they need to stay safe and help keep our nation moving forward.” 

Recent analysis from the Commonwealth Fund suggested that a successful fall–winter booster rollout could save 160,000 lives and avoid 1,700,000 hospitalizations. Data has also revealed that vaccination reduces the chance of reinfection by 50% and that a fourth shot drove down the chance of initial infection by 12.9% compared to a three-part series.  

Despite the protection provided by vaccines, primary vaccination and boosting rates have dropped. The decrease in daily vaccinations and boosters has left top officials concerned about a COVID-19 resurgence as people move indoors and vaccine efficacy wanes with time.  

The concerns also come as more information is revealed about the damaging effects of long COVID. Including the prevalent mental health damage that can occur after a COVID-19 infection, new data indicates that debilitating and wide-ranging symptoms have forced 2 million people to leave the workforce due to long COVID. 

This round of vaccines was bought using $10 billion from critical COVID-19 relief funds. However, the federal government’s purchase came before FDA approval for either vaccination and before either vaccine formulation has been tested in humans. The booster doses were also procured despite a large-scale reduction in demand, resulting in millions of wasted vaccines.