Pfizer told USA Today Feb. 7 that it expects to nearly cut in half the amount of time it takes to make a batch of COVID-19 vaccines.
Chaz Calitri, Pfizer's vice president of operations, told USA Today that the drugmaker has doubled its output in the last month and will soon be able to cut the time it takes to produce a batch of vaccines from 110 days to 60 days on average.
"We call this 'Project Light Speed,' and it's called that for a reason," Mr. Calitri told USA Today.
Making the DNA that begins the vaccine process used to take 16 days, but will soon take nine or 10, Pfizer told the publication. Pfizer is also increasing its vaccine output by adding manufacturing lines in all three of its U.S. plants.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the White House's health adviser, said Feb. 7 that he expects to see an increase in both Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine supply by March, Politico reported.
"The demand clearly outstrips the supply right now. If you look at the escalation of availability of doses purely on the ability and the capability of manufacturing, it’s going to escalate and will continue to escalate as we go from February to March to April and beyond," he said.
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