Is Pfizer about to cash in on the Omicron variant?

The new Omicron variant of Covid-19 is “mild” and no reason to panic, according to one of the South African doctors who discovered the new strain. Nonetheless, American politicians and public health officials are extending mask mandates, expanding vaccine mandates, and warning of the potential for another lockdown.

Pfizer is taking their cues and stepping in to play hero. Despite only having a week or two of research available to them, the pharmaceutical giant insists that preliminary lab results show that three doses of their vaccine work well at neutralizing the Omicron variant.

How convenient that the so-called “booster” shot Pfizer and President Joe Biden have been pushing for months is now found to be super effective against this new variant.

Naturally, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is already predicting that people might need a fourth shot sooner than previously thought. When are we allowed to point out how much cash Pfizer is raking in with every additional shot that goes in every additional arm? At what point can we say that Pfizer’s financial incentives now outweigh their concerns for public health?

We may have already reached that point. Bourla recently offered a “not so fast!” to those happy that Covid variants are getting milder. As the Wall Street Journal reported his remarks, “Omicron appears to be more contagious but cause less severe disease, [Bourla] said, but stressed that more work needs to be done to know for sure.”

“I don’t think it’s good news to have something that spreads fast. Spreads fast means it will be in billions of people and another mutation may come,” he said. “You don’t want that.”

Bourla’s comments run contrary to everything we know about viruses. It is obviously a good thing that variants get milder, even if they’re more transmissible, because it means fewer people will get very sick or die after contracting the virus. Catching a milder strain also allows people to more safely develop natural immunity, which studies have shown is often stronger than the immunity acquired through the available Covid vaccines. This accelerates us toward herd immunity and a return to normal life.

Anyone who cares about health outcomes should be happy that the variants are becoming less lethal. Someone who wants to keep their stock price high, though, might prefer the populace live in fear so as to be incentivized into getting more jabs.