With Moderna, Pzifer and BioTech announcing their COVID-19 vaccines, their high effectiveness, and their plans to get emergency approval from the FDA, the probabilities to control the pandemic increase. But the promised powerful shot will not come easy.
Transportation and storage of most COVID-19 vaccines will present its own set of challenges and will depend on cold storage technology solutions.
COVID-19 Immunization: How is it Different, and What Concerns do Researchers Face?
There are a lot of factors that make immunization successful, but there are few issues more important than the proper storage and handling of vaccines. Doses need to be stored at lower temperatures from the moment they are manufactured until they can be administered to a patient. Failure to transport them properly through a trusted cold-chain or improper storage will result in a vaccine losing its potency. This can waste thousands of dollars on the disposal of compromised lots and revaccination.
Because of the nature of the projected COVID-19 vaccination, manufacturers researching immunization to the Corona virus face a new challenge: how to properly transport and store this important drug.
In order to immunize the body to a disease-causing virus, traditional vaccines contain a signature protein of the virus to train our immune system to recognize and fight it. But the COVID-19 shots are different. Rather than “…having the viral protein injected, a person receives genetic material—mRNA—that encodes the viral protein. When these genetic instructions are injected into the upper arm, the muscle cells translate them to make the viral protein directly in the body.”1
Ultra-Cold Storage as a Solution
mRNA vaccines need to be stored in extremely frigid conditions. On average, most vaccines are recommended to be stored at 40°F, but the highly expected COVID-19 shot needs to be stored at between -4°F and -94°F. To overcome this hurdle, manufacturers will depend on a high-quality cold-chain to transport doses and high-end cold storage to protect the integrity of the drug.
Storage and transport logistics are the next big obstacle researches and manufacturers will attempt to overcome. In the US, a spike on sales of cold storage units evidences the concerns to maintain the integrity of the drug after it has left the manufacturing facilities. Pzifer and BioTech have announced their continued work on temperature control in hopes to make their vaccine more accessible and easier to transport.
In the meantime, the solution to these challenges may come in the form of ultra-cold freezers. Ultra-low temperature freezers are essential in any lab and research settings. The design is thought for frigid storage down to -85°C that guarantees the integrity of precious samples. Besides their low temperature capabilities, ultra-cold storage units present a series of features that make them an attractive solution in the times of the Corona virus. Among their most important components, these units highlight the following features:
- Battery backup: One of the most important things to consider when using low temperature storage is their reliability. Units that include an extended battery life and battery backup are the number one candidates to protect precious research materials that will make COVID immunization possible.
- Temperature alarms: Notification about varying high and low temperatures via SMS and email make it easy to alert lab staff if a sample has been exposed to a higher or lower temperature than the recommended one.
- Access ports: Easy access to samples helps enhance convenience for lab personnel by streamlining processes through quicker and easier sample access.
The control of the global pandemic is on the horizon, but it won’t come without its own range of difficulties. While manufacturers rush to get FDA approval for their vaccines, countries rush to secure ultra-cold storage in an attempt to get ahead of the demands the next steps towards immunization might bring.
Storage Temperatures As Low As -85°C
Ultra-Low Temperature Vaccine Freezers can facilitate reliable cold storage for temperatures as low as -85°C
Battery-operated alarm system will emit audible and visual signal when there is a mechanical or electrical failure. The alarm has an over and under temperature setting, alarm silencing switch, and battery test switch. A relay for remote alarm hook-up is also provided.
