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Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may reach other areas depending on storage facilities - DOH

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Kristine Sabillo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/11/09/coronavirus-vaccines-pfizer.jpg"/><figcaption>A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a &quot;Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine&quot; sticker and a medical syringe in front of displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken, October 30, 2020. <em>Dado Ruvic, Reuters/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The COVID-19 vaccine of Pfizer can still be deployed to other areas in the Philippines depending on the ultra cold storage options that will be offered by the private sector, the health department said Monday.</p><p>“Initially, we have these facilities na sabi natin kaya natin sa Metro Manila, Cebu, sa Davao, Region 3, Region 4A. But as time will go by, maraming partners na nag-o-offer sa atin ng ganitong facilities and equipment. So we will see,&quot; Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual briefing.</p><p>(Initially, we said we have facilities in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Region 3, Region 4A. But as time will go by, we have a lot of partners offering facilities and equipment.)</p><p>&quot;We don’t know, but maybe in two months time, we will be able to set it up also in other areas of the country,” she added. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/01/19/21/govt-eyes-28-firms-for-storage-of-covid-19-vaccines">Gov&#x27;t eyes 28 firms for storage of COVID-19 vaccines</a></li></ul><p>Pfizer’s vaccine, which uses new messenger RNA-based technology, has to be kept in a -70 degrees Celsius freezer, unlike the other COVID-19 vaccines. However, it also has the highest efficacy rate at 95%, based on current data.</p><p>Because of the cold storage requirement, government officials said it might only be deployed in urban areas. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/22/21/lgus-private-firms-told-to-follow-govt-standards-on-covid-19-vaccine-storage">LGUs, private firms told to follow gov&#x27;t standards on COVID-19 vaccine storage</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8wA5ko1l1wU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz, executive director of the National Institutes of Health in the University of the Philippines, said there will have to be different protocols in the handling of different vaccines.</p><p>This is especially true for Pfizer and Moderna, which also has an mRNA vaccine requiring -20 degrees Celsius storage. Both vaccines can be thawed and kept in regular refrigerator temperature, but Pfizer’s vaccine has to be administered within 5 days while Moderna’s can be kept there for 30 days.</p><p>De la Paz said it is important to note that vaccine distribution can take an average of 4 to 6 months, from the factory to the country of destination.</p><p>The vaccine cold chain involves a global network of cold rooms, freezers, refrigerators, cold boxes and carriers to “keep vaccines at just the right temperature during each&quot; stage.</p><p>She said other vaccines have also been kept in ultra low freezers before, such as the Ebola vaccine, which requires -70 degrees Celsius storage temperature.</p><p>De la Paz said the country faces a couple of challenges when it comes to the cold chain. The country will need uninterrupted electrical supply, storage space, ultra cold freezers and dry ice. She said there are generators in place in case of power interruptions.</p><p>“We will be needing more storage capacity for NCR if we are talking about the COVID-19 vaccine,” she said based on a previous survey they did among local government units. </p><p>She said there are still other vaccines that need to be kept in the existing storage units and cannot be displaced by the COVID-19 vaccines.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aGpnq3IwN-0?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>The COVID-19 vaccine of Pfizer can still be deployed to other areas in the Philippines depending on the ultra cold storage options that will be offered by the private sector, the health department said Monday.<br /> </p>

The COVID-19 vaccine of Pfizer can still be deployed to other areas in the Philippines depending on the ultra cold storage options that will be offered by the private sector, the health department said Monday.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may reach other areas depending on storage facilities - DOH

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Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may reach other areas depending on storage facilities - DOH

Kristine Sabillo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 25, 2021 10:05 PM PHT

Read More:

COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines

Department of Health

cold storage

vaccine storage

ultra low freezer

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