Influential government advisers are debating which Americans should get an extra dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine once regulators clear the booster shots.

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The Food and Drug Administration is expected to rule soon on Pfizer's bid for extra doses, after its advisers last week dramatically scaled back the administration plans for boosters for everyone. Instead, that panel backed booster shots for seniors and others at high risk.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the final word on who would qualify and convened its own advisers 22 September to start deliberations. The priority remains to vaccinate the unvaccinated, who the CDC says account for the vast majority of COVID-19 cases, now soaring to levels not seen since last winter. The government will decide later whether to allow extra doses of Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.