According to the official, the US health service Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeing an increase in infections and hospitalizations from the virus, but the numbers remain low.
The vaccine makers Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer and BioNTech have made their own versions of the booster shot to protect against a number of subvariants of the coronavirus.
Subject to approval from health authorities in the United States and Europe, the companies expect to have the new jabs available for fall vaccinations in the coming weeks. “We want to encourage all Americans to get these booster shots, in addition to flu shots and RSV shots,” the official said.