COVID-19 vaccine could put cold-storage logistics to the test

Courtesy of The Post and Courier

News last week that a COVID-19 vaccine has shown a 90 percent success rate in testing has buoyed hopes that the coronavirus pandemic might soon be under control, but getting that vaccine to patients promises to be a logistics challenge.

The vaccine, developed by Pfizer Inc., has to be stored at temperatures of at least minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s approaching the lowest temperatures at the South Pole.

It’s also much lower than the temperatures experienced in typical cold-storage logistics. The refrigerated cargo containers that move through the Port of Charleston can achieve temperatures of below-30 Fahrenheit, but that fluctuates during summer months when outside temperatures are climbing. The coldest refrigerated container built by industry leader Thermo King can reach minus-76 Fahrenheit, but that’s still not cold enough for vaccine storage.

Read the PandC’s full story here.

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