Vaccines can be stored in normal freezers: Pfizer says

Pfizer announced on Friday that their coronavirus vaccine does not need to be stored in deep freezers and that the temperatures of normal pharmaceutical freezers will be adequate in preventing them from expiring, The Hill reports.

According to Pfizer, the vaccine can be safely stored under temperatures ranging from -15 to -25 Celsius (5 to -15 Fahrenheit), which is within the range of standard pharmaceutical freezers.

The company is now requesting FDA approval for storing the vaccines under such temperatures.

"If approved, this new storage option would offer pharmacies and vaccination centers greater flexibility in how they manage their vaccine supply," said Pfizer CEO Alberta Bourla.

Pfizer had previously stated that their vaccines must be stored at -60 Celsius (-76 Fahrenheit), a temperature which is only reachable with special freezer technology which drives up the cost of distributing and storing the vaccine.

Such requirements have posed an especially difficult challenge for medical professionals in rural and isolated areas where such technology is not as easily accessible.

New data from Pfizer has also suggests that the vaccine is highly effective after the first dose, allowing the second dose to be potentially delayed, with some believing that the world should mimic the UK approach to vaccinations as a result. In the UK, all citizens receiving a first dose of the vaccine are prioritized over certain individuals receiving two doses.

The new data contradicts original conclusions drawn by Pfizer. While the first dose was originally shown to be effective just over half the time, the new data suggests that the first dose can prevent symptomatic infections up to 85 percent of the time within 28 days of receiving it.

Nevertheless, Pfizer still recommends receiving the second dose within three weeks of the first one.