Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Says He Will NOT Get the Vaccine — For Now, That Is

The CEO of Pfizer has announced that he will NOT be taking the COVID-19…

For now, that is.

Albert Bourla insists he is waiting on taking the vaccine so that healthcare workers can get it first.

Specifically, the Independent reports that Bourla said:

I’m 59 years old, in good health, I’m not working in the front line. So, my type is not recommended to get vaccinated…

So, none of the executives or board members will cut the line, they will take it as their age and occupation type is.

This is not a good look coming from the CEO of a company that developed the vaccine.

Many people are worried about the safety of a vaccine that has been developed quickly.

To be clear, the clinical trials and studies appear to suggest that the vaccine is safe and effective.

But with so much doubt…

Why wouldn’t the CEO of the company itself take the vaccine to prove that the vaccine is safe and effective?

It’s an odd look.

Many on social media have already taken notice:

https://twitter.com/ANP457475/status/1338912633718775809

https://twitter.com/MabhidaMartins/status/1338540481739943944

The Pfizer CEO hasn't taken the COVID vaccine yet? Again, I'm gonna pass on getting my shot.https://t.co/YML55lxIzZ

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) December 15, 2020

Me As Pfizer CEO

Omo I no too trust this Vaccine ooo. Make I lie say I no want 'cut line' pic.twitter.com/WbxG4jcJVY

— Ogar Sunday Emmanuel (@abaidaboss) December 14, 2020

You would think that the CEO of the vaccine company would want to build trust in the vaccine!

But this “publicity stunt” appears to have backfired.

Many people are even more nervous than before about the vaccine.

CNBC has more details on the CEO’s comments:

Monday he and other executives will not “cut the line” as U.S. officials kick off a massive effort to distribute the vaccine across the country.

The vaccine, which Pfizer developed in partnership with Germany-based BioNTech, is the first approved for emergency use in the U.S. to prevent Covid-19. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the vaccine for use in people 16 and older, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday officially recommended its use.

However, there are limited doses available and as such, the CDC has recommended states prioritize health-care workers and long-term care residents for initial distribution.

While Bourla’s company developed the vaccine, he is not a frontline health-care worker himself. He said he’s also 59 and in relatively good health, so it’s not entirely appropriate for him to receive the vaccine before other people who need it more. If he was vaccinated on camera, he said it might help increase the public’s willingness to receive it, citing Pfizer’s internal research. But he emphasized that “none of the executives and board members will cut the line.”

Bourla also urged Americans to “trust science” and encouraged people to get vaccinated when appropriate, based on their age and occupation.

“This is a vaccine that was developed without cutting corners from a company with 171 years of credentials,” Bourla said Monday on “Squawk Box.” “This is a vaccine that was developed in the spotlight, in the daylight, with all the data being put in a server.”

Bourla’s comments come as the first deliveries of doses are set to arrive at more than 100 of the country’s 636 pre-determined distribution sites. Some frontline health-care workers are due to be vaccinated as soon as Monday morning and vaccination is set to begin among long-term care residents next week, according to Operation Warp Speed officials.

It’s a monumental logistical challenge. The federal government has partnered with UPS, FedEx, McKesson, CVS, Walgreens, among others, to help distribute the vaccine and actually administer it. But state immunization officials have warned that the so-called last-mile delivery of the vaccine will be the most challenging, and states are largely responsible for that effort. State officials have repeatedly called on the federal government to provide more funding to hasten the effort.

In order to get the public on board, leaders will need to get vaccinated.

Even if Bourla is being authentic, it’s not a good look for the CEO.

Especially in an age where people are worried about the substances they are putting into their body.

Why the CEO of @pfizer wouldn't take the vaccine?

Millions of Americans are about to receive #Covid19Vaccine … Yet the man at the helm of the pharmaceutical who produced the vaccine has NOT taken it? What is he waiting for? A committee to decide? pic.twitter.com/mZCfHC5GsS

— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) December 14, 2020

That’s great.

Just out of curiosity, which country was it that developed the vaccine?

Wonder why. https://t.co/tv8CjuyqTN

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 12, 2020

The news of Bourla’s comments comes just a day after President Trump reversed a plan to get the White House staff vaccinated.

Initially, the White House staff would be one of the first vaccinated.

Now, that plan has been rescinded thanks to President Trump.

The New York Times has more details:

President Trump said on Sunday night that he would delay a plan for senior White House staff members to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the coming days, hours after The New York Times reported that the administration was planning to rapidly distribute the vaccine to its staff at a time when the first doses are generally being reserved for high-risk health care workers.

Mr. Trump, who tested positive for the coronavirus in October and recovered after being hospitalized, also implied that he would get the vaccine himself at some point in the future, but said he had no immediate plans to do so.

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“People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary,” Mr. Trump tweeted, hours after a National Security Council spokesman had defended the plan. “I have asked that this adjustment be made. I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time. Thank you!”

It was not immediately clear why the president decided to change the policy, or whether he had even been aware of it ahead of time. But White House staff members who work in close quarters with him had been told that they were scheduled to receive injections of the coronavirus vaccine soon, two people familiar with the distribution plans said.

The goal of distributing the vaccine in the West Wing was to prevent additional government officials from falling ill in the final weeks of the Trump administration. The hope was to eventually distribute the vaccine to everyone who works in the White House, one of the people said.

It was not clear how many doses were being allocated to the White House or how many were needed, since many staff members had already tested positive for the virus and recovered. While many Trump officials said they were eager to receive the vaccine and would take it if it were offered, others said they were concerned it would send the wrong message by making it appear as if Trump staff members were hopping the line to protect a president who has already recovered from the virus and bragged that he is now “immune.”

Vaccine deployment is now underway across the country.

This story is developing.