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Europe is getting closer to a decision on providing a third booster shot to some populations as countries work to mitigate the fallout of a potential rise in infections this winter amid waning vaccine effectiveness.

The U.K.'s drug regulator cleared booster shots from Pfizer and AstraZeneca this week, with a government advisory panel set to recommend whether the nation should go ahead with rolling out a third dose in the coming days. Britain is already offering extra shots to people 12 and older with severely weakened immune systems.

The European Medicines Agency is reviewing booster data from Pfizer and Moderna, with a decision on the use of a Pfizer booster dose six months after the second shot expected in the next few weeks. The moves are in line with the U.S. plans to roll out booster shots beginning Sept. 20, subject to approval from health officials.

"There is still overall considerable protection from severe disease and hospitalization in the general population" from the initial vaccines, Marco Cavaleri, head of vaccines strategy at the EMA, said Thursday in a briefing. "However, an increase in breakthrough infections has been reported in different parts of the world due to the delta variant" and most EU members are now discussing whether vulnerable groups would benefit from a third dose.

A drive-through vaccination site in Germany.

Lukas Schulze/Getty Images Europe

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pleaded for a moratorium on boosters. Governments should wait at least until the end of the year, helping poorer countries get access to more shots, he said Wednesday.

Europe is also looking at the possible authorization of second-generation vaccines that may increase overall supplies. The EMA may clear a shot from Novavax this year, with discussions expected to advance over the coming weeks, Cavaleri says.

The EMA is awaiting the submission of clinical data from CureVac's shot for assessment imminently, and discussions with China's Sinovac Biotech and the developers of Russia's Sputnik shot have been constructive, Cavaleri says. A shot from Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline is also under review, but none of these are currently under U.S. consideration for clearance.—Suzi Ring

U.S. Is Closing In on 400 Million Doses Administered

More than 5.66 billion doses have been administered across 184 countries, enough to fully vaccinate close to 37% of the world's population. The most recent rate was about 33.4 million doses a day. In the U.S., as debate picks up over booster shots, 379 million doses have been given. Read the full story here.

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