Pfizer plans to produce up to 100 million doses of new Omicron-specific Covid ...

Pfizer plans to produce up to 100 million doses of new Omicron-specific Covid ...
Pfizer plans to produce up to 100 million doses of new Omicron-specific Covid ...

Pfizer will be able to manufacture between 50 to 100 million doses of its Omicron variant-specific Covid vaccine, the company said Monday.

The company's vaccine - which is a joint effort with the German company BioNTech -  is the most popular in the U.S. and in much of the world. 

The rise of the Omicron variant, which can evade protection provided by the existing crop of vaccines, has sent pharmaceutical companies and vaccine manufacturers into a race to produce a shot that is effective against the mutant strain, same as what occurred when Covid first emerged. 

Pfizer believes it will be able to start testing of a new Omicron-specific vaccine as early as late-January, and could have the jab ready for use by March. 

Pfizer plans to produce anywhere between 50 to 100 million shots of its Omicron specific COVID-19 vaccine between now and the end of spring. The company plans to begin trials for the shots as early as late January (file photo)

Pfizer plans to produce anywhere between 50 to 100 million shots of its Omicron specific COVID-19 vaccine between now and the end of spring. The company plans to begin trials for the shots as early as late January (file photo)

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla (pictured) has said that Covid will be around for the next decade, but shots produced by his company may be able to control the virus. His company's shot is already the most popularly used in the U.S., and in much of the world

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla (pictured) has said that Covid will be around for the next decade, but shots produced by his company may be able to control the virus. His company's shot is already the most popularly used in the U.S., and in much of the world

Albert Bourla, CEO of the firm, said Monday that his company would absorb the risk of producing the shots, and manufacture them before a purchase contract is in place with governments and world health officials.

'In terms of manufacturing, we have so big of a capacity built right now, that it won't be an issue to switch immediately,' Bourla said at a news conference Monday.

A company representative then told the Washington Post that between 50 to 100 million doses of the vaccine will be available by late March and early April.

Pfizer has produced billions of vaccine doses to be used around the world,

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