Pfizer said Oct. 28 the U.S. government has purchased 50 million more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to prepare for pediatric vaccinations.
The doses include vaccines for kids under age 5, if the companies receive regulatory approval for the age group. The FDA Oct. 29 authorized the vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11.
Pfizer expects to deliver all of the 50 million doses by April 30.
The order brings the total number of Pfizer shots purchased by the U.S. to 600 million, and exercises the final purchase option under the government's current supply agreement with Pfizer and its partner BioNTech. Pfizer has separately agreed to provide 1 billion shots to the U.S. government at a not-for-profit price for donation to low- and lower-middle income countries.
Pfizer said it expects to manufacture a total of 3 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year and 4 billion in 2022.
Read the full news release here.