December 16, 2020 3 min read

Anyone would think that with the COVID-19 vaccine on hand, the CEO of Pfizer would be among the first to be inoculated, but he is not. Albert Bourla , CEO of the pharmaceutical company, revealed that he has not applied his own vaccine against the virus and explained the reason behind such decision.

Faced with the questions, Bourla pointed out that the vaccine has not been injected because it is not in the age range of those who should receive it first.

“I am 59 years old, I am in good health, I am not in the first line, so for my type it is not recommended to get vaccinated now,” explained the senior executive in an interview with CNBC. “As soon as I can, I will .”

If he gets vaccinated, the general population will consider doing so

Aware of the influence it can have on the population, regarding their decision on whether or not to receive the vaccine, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company stated that he would consider receiving it sooner.

Bourla explained that the surveys carried out by the pharmacist itself reveal that people would be more willing to be vaccinated if the CEO of the company is inoculated first. Respondents considered that the vaccination of the CEO of Pfizer would be more decisive than if the president-elect, Joe Biden , received the drug.

“With that in mind, I’m trying to find a way to get vaccinated, even if it’s not my time, just to show confidence in the company,” he said. He stressed that the product met all the standards for approval and asked people to trust it. “It is a vaccine that was developed without taking shortcuts,” he said.

Amazing moment at @Pfizer ‘s Kalamazoo plant today. #PfizerProud

The Pfizer-BioNTech # COVID19 vaccine has not been approved or licensed by the US FDA but has been authorized for emergency use to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 16+. See conditions of use: https://t.co/ENvj6P2vv2 pic.twitter.com/aMn3a4Xz6w

– AlbertBourla (@AlbertBourla) December 13, 2020

The executive director commented that the distribution of the vaccine is a challenge, since it must be kept at -70 ° C , a much lower temperature than other vaccines. The pharmaceutical company plans to produce 1.3 billion doses of its antidote against the coronavirus by 2021. According to Bourla, this is a “commitment to the world .”

The first person to be vaccinated in the United States with the Pfizer-BioNTech drug was Sandra Lindsay. She is a nurse who resides in the borough of Queens, New York, and works in the Intensive Care unit of Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.

In Mexico, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved last Friday, December 11 . The application process in our country was previously announced , which will begin by inoculating health sector personnel.