Pfizer vaccine Able to be kept warmer, new tests show

The Pfizer-biontech coronavirus vaccine no longer needs to be kept at such super-cold temperatures, new results suggest, a development which will make it considerably easier to distribute. According to updated stability data — submitted to regulators in the u.s. — the vaccine can be kept in a standard medical freezer at between -15C and -25C for as long as two weeks, then up to five days in a normal fridge. Previously the vaccine had to be deep frozen at between -60C and -80C. Its instability has been a hurdle for distribution efforts as vials of the doses must be topped up with dry ice every five days and, once at a clinic, can be kept refrigerated for only five days. Moderna’s jab can be kept at a normal fridge temperature of between 2C and 8C for 30 days.