(Reuters). Moderna Inc filed late Thursday an emergency use authorization application with U.S. Health regulators to authorize a second COVID-19 boost shot for all adults. The surge in COVID-19 cases in parts of the country has fueled fears that there will be another pandemic.

After a few days, the company requests that they be notified. Pfizer Inc (NYSE:), and BioNTech Se (NASDAQ:), its German partner, filed an emergency use authorization application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They sought approval for a second shot of their COVID-19 vaccine booster for patients 65 and older.

Moderna (NASDAQ:) The request was made by all Americans over 18 years old so the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Care Providers could decide whether an additional dose of the vaccine should be administered. This included “for people at greater risk for COVID-19 because of age or comorbidities.”

Moderna did not comment on whether a fourth shot is effective. However, it said that its submission was partially based on recent data published in Israel and the United States following the Omicron variant’s emergence.

Reuters asked FDA for comments but they did not respond immediately.

U.S. officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci (top infectious disease expert) have suggested a fourth shot to protect older patients and prepare for another spike in cases.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data have shown that vaccine efficacy decreases with time and that a third dose can help restore it. But, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not release comprehensive data based solely on health status or age to prove this.

New York Times first reported the news.