Pfizer ready to ship COVID-19 vaccine within ‘hours’ of approval

Pfizer says it is prepared to roll out its COVID-19 vaccine within “hours” of being approved.

CEO Albert Bourla said Thursday the drug company plans to start the process to apply for approval from regulatory agencies across the world in a matter of days, Sky News reported.

“Once they give us the green light, our goal is to start shipping in a couple of hours,” Bourla said.

Bourla noted that certain agencies could take longer than others to approve the vaccine, which it says has been shown to be 95 percent effective in preventing the virus during trials.

“The major regulatory authorities of the world listen to each other, but they are powered scientifically,” he said.

As a result, some regions may receive the vaccine sooner than others.

“If someone approves faster than the other, then I believe the ethical thing to do is to start sending vaccines to the citizens of this jurisdiction because every day means lives,” Bourla said.

Based on current projections, the company said it plans to manufacture 50 million doses this year and 1.3 billion in 2021.