Pfizer may set up cold storage facilities for COVID-19 vaccines – Duque

BREAKTHROUGH Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE estimate they can roll out up to 50 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine this year, enough to protect 25 million people, and then produce up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021. —REUTERS

MANILA, Philippines — Pfizer might provide suitable storage for COVID-19 vaccines, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday. 

Duque said Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine requires a storage temperature of -70 to -80 degrees Centigrade, which is not compatible with the country’s current cold storage facilities.

“We don’t have (the suitable storage facilities) according to the DTI ( Department of Trade and Industry) information that I got,” he said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.

Duque, however,  added that the vaccine manufacturer is willing to supply the necessary storage equipment for the vaccines.

“(According to) Secretary Carlito Galvez, our vaccine czar, Pfizer might be willing to actually provide the very sophisticated cold storage to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine,” he stated. 

Duque said they are looking at the portfolio of different vaccines to determine which one will be the priority of the government. 

He explained that they are monitoring the availability and the outcome of the vaccine’s evaluation. 

“We have to look at the practicability of implementation for different vaccines,” he explained. 

gsg