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U.S. states race to buy ultra cold vaccine freezers, fueling supply worries
Source: Reuters
HEALTHCARE & PHARMA
NOVEMBER 13, 2020 2:04 PM UPDATED 17 HOURS AGO
U.S. states race to buy ultra cold vaccine freezers, fueling supply worries
By Lisa Baertlein, Carl O’Donnell
6 MIN READ
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. states, cities, and hospitals are scrambling to buy ultra-cold freezers that can safely store Pfizer Inc's PFE.N COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to hold off.
The push reveals a lack of infrastructure to support a super cold vaccine campaign, including equipment to store millions of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine at temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94°F), significantly below the standard for vaccines of 2-8 degrees Celsius (36-46°F).
Some specialty freezer makers warn of months-long waits for units.
It also marks widespread wariness of the advice from the CDC, which on Aug. 26 urged healthcare providers not to purchase ultra low temperature (ULT) freezers, saying it was working on solutions for Pfizer’s “very complex storage and handling requirements.”
A CDC spokeswoman on Thursday said the agency expects the first vaccine doses will be in limited quantities and rapidly deployed, reducing the need to store them in specialized freezers.
-snip-
NOVEMBER 13, 2020 2:04 PM UPDATED 17 HOURS AGO
U.S. states race to buy ultra cold vaccine freezers, fueling supply worries
By Lisa Baertlein, Carl O’Donnell
6 MIN READ
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. states, cities, and hospitals are scrambling to buy ultra-cold freezers that can safely store Pfizer Inc's PFE.N COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to hold off.
The push reveals a lack of infrastructure to support a super cold vaccine campaign, including equipment to store millions of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine at temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94°F), significantly below the standard for vaccines of 2-8 degrees Celsius (36-46°F).
Some specialty freezer makers warn of months-long waits for units.
It also marks widespread wariness of the advice from the CDC, which on Aug. 26 urged healthcare providers not to purchase ultra low temperature (ULT) freezers, saying it was working on solutions for Pfizer’s “very complex storage and handling requirements.”
A CDC spokeswoman on Thursday said the agency expects the first vaccine doses will be in limited quantities and rapidly deployed, reducing the need to store them in specialized freezers.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-freezers-focus/u-s-states-race-to-buy-ultra-cold-vaccine-freezers-fueling-supply-worries-idUSKBN27T2S6