The U.S. Bets Billions of Dollars on Better COVID-19 Boosters as it Prepares for a Spike in COVID-19 Cases in the Coming Months; U.S. Agrees to Pay $3.2 Billion for More Pfizer Covid Vaccines, and other C-Virus related stories

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The U.S. bets billions of dollars on better COVID-19 boosters as it prepares for a spike in COVID-19 cases in the coming months:

The U.S. is gearing up for another wave of COVID-19 infections in the fall and winter following a flurry of activity this week that included putting billions of dollars toward more COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and setting up new rules for how to update the shots.

Here’s what happened this week:

> The Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee on Tuesday voted in favor of updating the COVID-19 vaccines.

> The U.S. announced Wednesday that it is paying $3.2 billion for another 105 million doses of BioNTech BNTX, +5.63% and Pfizer’s PFE, -0.23% COVID-19 vaccine. This includes adult and pediatric doses, set to be delivered in the fall, pending an OK from regulators. (That’s approximately 27% higher price per dose than the doses purchased by the U.S. in 2020, according to SVB Securities analyst David Risinger.)--->READ MORE HERE

Photo: HANNAH BEIER/REUTERS

U.S. Agrees to Pay $3.2 Billion for More Pfizer Covid Vaccines:

Under the deal, the U.S. government will get 105 million doses and have the option to purchase more

The Biden administration has agreed to pay $3.2 billion for 105 million doses of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine.

The deal would provide supplies for the federal government’s planned fall booster campaign, which administration officials are devising to blunt a potential wave in cases, possibly driven by variants of the Omicron strain now spreading across the U.S.

Under the deal, the federal government would have the option to buy 195 million additional doses, the Health and Human Services Department said Wednesday. Pfizer, which developed and makes the vaccine with partner BioNTech SE, would make whatever type of vaccine federal health regulators decide should be featured in the fall campaign.

“We look forward to taking delivery of these new variant-specific vaccines and working with state and local health departments, pharmacies, healthcare providers, federally qualified health centers, and other partners to make them available in communities around the country this fall,” said Dawn O’Connell, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS.

The administration is facing a funding shortage for pandemic response efforts amid a stalemate in Congress over additional money to deal with the virus. Earlier this month, the U.S. reallocated $10 billion in existing Covid-19 response funding for vaccines and treatment. The funding for the additional vaccines comes from that reallocated money, the administration said. --->READ MORE HERE

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