Pfizer-BioNTech’s chief executive says that his company is moving closer to providing a fourth dose of its COVID-19 vaccine that will cover all existing variants.

On Friday, Pfizer CEO Alberto Bourla said that its testing data on a fourth dose will be forwarded to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review and that he was optimistic that the agency will grant its approval for use.

"It’s clear that there is a need in an environment of Omicron to boost the immune response,” Bourla said in an interview with CNBC. “We are making a vaccine that covers Omicron and all the other variants. There are so [many] trials that are going right now, and a lot of them we’ll start reading by the end of the month."

On March 11, 2020, a delegation of officials that included Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, testified before Congress that the worst was yet to come from COVID-19. Two days later, then-President Donald Trump announced a national emergency that heralded the beginning of the long struggle against COVID-19.

Pfizer was the first company to receive emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA for its COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 11, 2020, before receiving full authorization the next year in August. It was also the first company to receive an EUA for its booster shots in September from the Biden administration.

The race for a fourth shot has taken on added importance as the U.S. shifts toward a new model of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. To do that, it hopes to prioritize faster access to shots and antiviral treatments.

It is also becoming more relevant as the immunity of the original shot and booster doses appears to be waning. With the arrival of the highly contagious Omicron variant in late November 2021, the need for an additional booster has taken on added importance.

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