The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should no longer be kept at deep-frozen temperatures and can be safely stored inside normal medical freezers, making it easier to distribute, the firm said in a report Friday.
Those responsible for the shooting, including German biotech firm BioNTech, have found that doses can remain between 5 and -13 degrees Fahrenheit unharmed, instead of -94 degrees as previously thought, according to the Financial Times.
The ability to store life-saving spikes at higher temperatures gives vaccine distribution centers “greater flexibility” and makes them “easier to transport and use” in rural or hard-to-reach areas, the director-general said. by BioNTech, Ugur Sahin.
New “stability data” for vaccines revealed by companies have now been sent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the document.
Pfizer’s innovative vaccine was the first to be approved last year in the United States and Europe. But in November, experts warned that the vaccine could become a logistical nightmare to distribute due to below-zero storage temperatures.
Companies involved in sending the shots have also complained that the government had not considered the challenges of delivering the “last mile” related to temperature.
The need to store and transport the vaccine at deep-frozen temperatures has delayed its deployment, especially in remote areas without the so-called “cold chain” infrastructure.