US Buys 200 Million More Doses Of Moderna's COVID Vaccine
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) -- The United States government has made another large order of Moderna's COVID vaccine, the Cambridge biotech company said Wednesday. Moderna said the U.S. bought another 200 million doses of the mRNA vaccine.
Those doses could be used to vaccinate children in the future, if approved, or to serve as booster shots if needed.
"We appreciate the collaboration with the U.S government for these additional doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which could be used for primary vaccination, including of children, or possibly as a booster if that becomes necessary to continue to defeat the pandemic," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement. "We remain focused on being proactive as the virus evolves by leveraging the flexibility of our mRNA platform to stay ahead of emerging variants."
Moderna said this brings the U.S. order total to 500 million doses, of which 217 million has been released so far. There are 110 million doses set for delivery for the fourth quarter of 2021, and 90 million doses coming in the first quarter of 2022.
Last week Moderna filed for emergency use authorization of its COVID vaccine in teenagers after a study showed 100% effectiveness in the 12-17 age group. Kids as young as 5 could start getting the vaccine by early fall, Bancel said.