KUALA LUMPUR – The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine requires ultra-cold storage, at -70°C, to maintain the cold chain delivery for it to retain its potency when administered.
In comparison, the coldest place on Earth is currently the South Pole in Antarctica, where temperatures are a freezing -38°C, while the standard temperature for household freezers is -18°C.
This poses logistical and distribution challenges in a tropical country like Malaysia, thus, the government has purchased 55 ultra-low temperature freezers to store the vials at a cost of RM16.6 million, according to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Malaysia National Metrology Institute metrologist Nurulaini Md Ali said the temperature needs to be monitored all the times until the vaccine reaches the recipients as its genetic material is extremely sensitive to change and needs to be stored within a strict temperature range, in ultra-cold freezers.
“The cold chain begins at the manufacturing process, and then through delivery to recipient countries and storage centres, and until the vaccine is administered. It must be ensured that there is no failure (in maintaining the temperature) along the chain.”
She said for long-term storage, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine must be kept in freezers with the temperature set to between -80°C and -70°C, while when being prepped to be administered, it should be kept within 2⁰C to 8⁰C – at this stage it can last for only five days.
Pharmaceutical partners Pfizer and BioNTech said the companies have conducted a new study that indicates the Covid-19 vaccine can remain effective when stored in standard freezers for up to two weeks.
In a statement posted on Pfizer’s website, the companies said the new data has been submitted to the United States Food and Drug Administration, demonstrating their vaccine is stable when stored at -25°C to -15°C, temperatures commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers and refrigerators. – Bernama, February 21, 2021
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