COVID-19 In Pittsburgh: Hospitals Prepare To Store Shipments Of Coronavirus Vaccine
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A freezer so cold frost covers the inside is something that's necessary to hold Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine until it's administered. The vaccine must be kept between -70 to -84 degrees Celsius.
"We've not had to store any vaccine or medication at the -70 before," said Vice President of Pharmacy at Allegheny Health Network Laura Mark.
Mark said each AHN hospital will house two freezers in its internal pharmacy.
Three of the 22 freezers AHN purchased are stored at a warehouse in Zelienople. This off-site location is where AHN houses its back-up freezers.
The Moderna vaccine must be held in temperatures between -25 and -32 degrees Celsius, so it won't require the special treatment that the Pfizer shot requires.
"We do have special handling gloves that we would utilize to open up the freezers and handle the medications within the freezers," said Mark. "It will be much more of a planning process because we will have to thaw those vaccines prior to administration."
Mark said this thawing process could take up to three hours.
AHN said its freezers will be able to store over 100,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine combined.
UPMC'S hospitals have similar freezers for the Pfizer vaccine. They said initially that's the one they'll get, while Moderna's will be going to skilled nursing facilities. While doctors can't say how many freezers at this time, they do say the numbers keep changing with the need.
"It does mean we had to procure some additional ultra-cold storage for the vaccines but we are ready to receive the vaccines at the facilities that are receiving them and we are ready to maintain the cold chain from storage to administration," said Dr. Graham Snyder with UPMC.
Storing the vaccine will look a little different for Excela Health's Westmoreland Hospital. Excela will be storing the Pfizer vaccine in coolers with dry ice which will need to be replenished to maintain the required temperature. Excela will likely use its pharmacy to house the shots.
Washington Health System is still planning how it will house and distribute both vaccines when they become available.
