The US Food and Drug Administration has received preliminary data from Pfizer and BioNTech to authorize the use of a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

If compared to those who received two doses, the booster dosage generated a much stronger antibody response against the variants of coronavirus such as Delta and Beta variants.

The booster dosage seemed to protect against both the Delta and Beta variants of the coronavirus as well as the original coronavirus.

“Given the high levels of immune responses observed, a booster dose given within six to 12 months after the primary vaccination schedule may help maintain a high level of protection against COVID-19,” the company said in a statement.

“This initial data indicate that we may preserve and even exceed the high levels of protection against the wild-type virus and relevant variants using the third dose of our vaccine,” added Dr. Ugur Sahin, CEO, and co-founder of BioNTech.

“A booster vaccine could help reduce infection and disease rates in people who have previously been vaccinated and better control the spread of virus variants during the coming season.”

The data on booster doses occurs as cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have recently risen, especially among the unvaccinated in the South.

Pfizer executives think a booster dosage will be required shortly, but US health officials say no confirmation of this has been found.

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