The American government is buying another 200 million doses of the corona vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech for use in children and any booster vaccines.
In this way, the US government will secure extensive access to vaccines until the coming year, Pfizer boss Albert Bourla said on Friday.
Both companies announced that more than half of the cans should be delivered this year.
From US government circles it is said that 65 million of the cans are intended for children under the age of twelve.
Part of it will be available as soon as the relevant approval is available.
The United States has therefore also secured an option for new versions of the vaccine against virus variants.
With the deal, the total number of Pfizer / BioNTech cans ordered by the Washington government adds up to 500 million, of which 208 million have been shipped to date.
In the US, the drug has been approved from the age of twelve since May.
US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that children under the age of twelve will probably soon be vaccinated. In Germany there is no recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission for general vaccination of young people. Despite this, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder proposed a joint school vaccination program for the federal states on Friday.