ProPac Provides Ultra-Low Temperature Vaccination Storage Courtesy of Science and Technology

Tuesday March 16, 2021

ProPac, a distributor of ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers for life science and biopharma application, is using this technology to support communities and businesses in providing COVID-19 vaccine delivery. Many businesses and communities depend on ProPac's F6017 Upright, F6016 Undercounter, and F6015 Portable ULT freezers to securely prepare, store and administer for COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. Thanks to these ULT systems' stability, temperature flexibility and effectiveness, vaccinations are on the rise.

When Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna received FDA approval for their COVID-19 vaccine candidates in December 2020, both began to establish vaccine delivery strategies that were fast, reliable, and most importantly, waste-free. Given the basic temperature specifications for long-term storage of both vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech recommends temperatures of -80°C to -60°C (-112°F to -76°F), and Moderna between -25°C and -15°C (-13°F and 5°F).

When vaccines began to ship out, the risk of mass vaccine failure increased dramatically, and last minute logistics rapidly became a difficult task. Despite Pfizer's recent announcement regarding decreased ultracold storage requirements for short-term needs, the vaccine can only be kept at this lower temperature for a maximum of 14 days. Even with the extended grace period, recent external disruptions such as frequent website crashes, missed appointments and weather problems have resulted in continued vaccine spoilage. Furthermore, several vaccine sites are also unable to select which vaccine types they would obtain for patient delivery, necessitating the continued use of cold storage systems to ensure secure distribution and minimal vaccine spoilage.

ProPac is proud to play a major role in providing Public Health Care agencies and hospitals the necessary equipment and supplies like these ULT freezers and Vaccination Drive-Thru Systems, plus PPE for front-line workers.

It's been a difficult time during this pandemic, but together, ProPac and their customers continue to work diligently to bring things back to normal.