Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has prepared the first shipments of its COVID-19 oral antiviral pill, which “significantly” reduces the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk patients, and sent them to the airport for distribution across Europe and America pending approval, it announced Tuesday. “Thrilled to see the first shipments of our COVID-19 antiviral candidate head to the airport for distribution across Europe and the United States,” the company wrote on Twitter.  “Approval or authorization could be a big step forward in helping end this pandemic.” The drug, known as PAXLOVID, was found in a scheduled interim analysis to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death from the COVID-19 virus by 89 percent if the patient receives the drug in time, according to a company press release published on Nov. 5. Antivirals, just like Merck’s molnupiravir, need to be given to patients as early as possible to be most effective, best within days of the onset …