U.S. may cut some doses in half to speed rollout

The U.S. government is considering giving some people half the dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in order to speed vaccinations, a federal official said on Sunday.

Gavino Garay has more.

The U.S. government is considering giving some people half the dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in order to speed vaccinations, a federal official said on Sunday.

Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine program, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that officials were in talks with Moderna and the Food and Drug Administration about the idea.

Moderna's vaccine requires two injections.

That would mean people aged 18 to 55 would receive half the current quantity in each of the first and second doses.

Slaoui said, quote "We know it induces identical immune response," noting that ultimately it would be up to the FDA to make such a decision.

Moderna and the FDA could not immediately be reached for comment.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered more than 4 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed over 13 million doses.

The U.S. has also approved a vaccine from Pfizer, which like Moderna's requires two shots.

Vaccinations have fallen far short of early targets, as officials had hoped to have 20 million people vaccinated by the end of the 2020.