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 A Biden administration official with knowledge of the contract said
that as part of the agreement, Pfizer will provide the United States
with 65 million doses intended for children under 12, including
doses available immediately after the vaccine is authorized for that
age group.
The U.S. government also has the option to buy an updated version of
the vaccine targeting new variants of the virus.
The deal comes as the Delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across
the country and drives up infections, contributing to the debate
over whether or not Americans will need a booster dose this fall.
It also follows the government's move in June to buy 200 million
more doses of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine.
The purchase brings the total number of doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech
vaccine to be supplied to the United States to 500 million, of which
roughly 208 million doses have already been delivered, as of
Thursday's data from the government.
"These additional doses will help the U.S. government ensure broad
vaccine access into next year," Pfizer Chief Executive Officer
Albert Bourla said in a statement.
Pfizer last year signed a deal with the U.S. government for 100
million doses of the vaccine for nearly $2 billion, with an option
to buy 500 million more doses.
A majority of the new doses will be supplied by the end of the year,
and the remaining 90 million will be delivered by April 30, the
companies said.
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 Pfizer and BioNTech have
designed a new version of their vaccine
targeting the Delta variant, which they plan to
test in the coming weeks, but have said the
current vaccine could also provide protection
against the variant.
Pfizer earlier this month said the companies
plan to seek authorization from U.S. and
European regulators for a booster dose of their
COVID-19 vaccine.
The U.S. government has said Americans who have
been fully vaccinated do not need a booster
COVID-19 shot at this time.
 Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention on Thursday considered evidence
suggesting that a booster dose of COVID-19
vaccines could increase protection among people
with compromised immune systems.
CDC scientists told advisers that boosters for
the immunocompromised would need to wait for
regulatory action from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration - either full approval of
vaccines or amendments to their current
emergency use authorizations - before the CDC
could make a recommendation.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru and
Michael Erman in New Jersey; Editing by Sriraj
Kalluvila, Maju Samuel and Dan Grebler)
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