Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla urged global governments not to reopen economies too quickly because of the optimism created by possible COVID-19 vaccines.
“Given the pressure to open the economy, (governments) should not make this mistake…and relax immediately,” said Bourla, speaking at an online event hosted in his native Greece.
“The vaccine is one tool in controlling this disease…The time that we will have to go back to normality is not far away. But it is definitely not now.”
Bourla spoke Wednesday after Britain became the first country to approve a vaccine developed by Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech.
The UK announced yesterday it will start dispensing Pfizer-BioNTech’s offering within days.
Mr Johnson said the government was buying 40 million doses but big hurdles remain before all vulnerable people receive it.
“There are immense logistical challenges. The vaccine has got to be stored at minus 70 degrees,” he said.
“Each person needs two injections, three weeks apart. So it will inevitably take some months before all the most vulnerable are protected.”
The Pfizer CEO says early stages of national vaccination programs were likely to have a significant impact because they would be directed at vulnerable groups like seniors and health care workers.
Sourced By: AP News/The Greek Herald
