The jabs will first be given to healthcare workers, nursing home residents and older people who were vaccinated at least eight months ago.

The White House says the initiative is a response to rising infections from the Delta variant and evidence that the protectiveness of the vaccines fades.

A final decision still requires approval and a formal recommendation.

Daily cases in the United States have soared since early July. At the time, there were fewer than 10,000 cases and now there are more than 150,000 across the nation.