PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Pfizer now says they hope to cut the time it takes to produce their COVID-19 vaccine at their Portage plant in half with what they call “Project Light Speed”.
The company says they may be able to cut production time from 110 days to 60 by improving efficiencies without cutting quality. Pfizer researcher, Dr. Phillip Dormitzer, has told the Associated Press that early tests on mutant strains show the vaccine still works, but not at the same 95% rate against the original virus.
“Going forward, we’re going to need to do many more experiments as new variants come out. Not just single mutations, but combinations of mutations.”
The company also plans to begin making the drug at two other U.S. plants, in Missouri and Massachusetts, which are already involved in preliminary stages of production. That should reduce the biggest bottleneck in the current inoculation effort, which is a lack of vaccines.
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