First the good news.
Pfizer has reached the critical number of cases (170) to apply for Emergency authorisation. It is said to be 95% effective. ( this is today’s news)
Now the Bad news.
Pfizer’s vaccine must be kept at nearly minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit to remain effective. ( -100° F = -74°C). That is 20° colder than the coldest place on the earth.
It requires 2 doses at 21 days apart.
So Pfizer will sell you its Deep Fridge suitcases containing Dry Ice.
Pfizer has developed specially built deep-freeze “suitcases” that can be tightly sealed and shipped even in non-refrigerated trucks.
Pfizer’s shipping boxes, packed with specially formulated dry ice can contain between 1,000 and 5,000 vaccine doses each, can only be opened twice a day for less than three minutes at a time while maintaining temperature standards.
Once opened the life of vaccine shortens to 10 days.
Dry ice is considered a hazardous material and restricted on airplanes. So Pfizer will ship them in special containers inside US. So inside US, it could take up to four days for the vaccines to reach their destination from cold stores. That gives hospitals and pharmacies as few as just six days to administer up to 5,000 doses before they go bad
Can I refill my suitcase with Dry Ice ?
Yes.
But that will only extend the life of deep-freeze suitcase by five days.
If you can afford..
Your hospital can buy Ultra- Cold deep freezers.
It costs as much as $20,000 ( 1.5 lakhs) each, and are now in short-supply world over.
In US the wait for its ultra-cold freezers is now six weeks.
Think India.
The vaccine schedule requires two injections at 21 days apart. Once opened, even if you are careful enough to shot the container in 3 minutes, the rest of the vaccines will perish in 10 days. The container costs 1.5 lakh and contains 5000 dose.
The reality is there has never been a drug which is so universally required yet so astute in its storage need.
Dr Ramakanta's Ideas 