For the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus, which is about to be distributed to French hospitals, instructions for use are necessary. In particular from the point of view of its conservation, which has the particularity of having to be carried out at -80°C, as Le Journal du dimanche points out in its edition of Sunday, December 6.
First, the vaccine is produced in Belgium. Then, it is placed in vials (each containing 5 doses to be administered), then these vials are joined by 195 pieces in boxes. Finally, these boxes are placed in isothermal boxes that will maintain conservation for only 16 days. They will be filled with Dry Ice, a carbon dioxide compacted at very low temperatures.
As the vaccination campaign is about to start, hospitals must start equipping themselves with them in anticipation of receiving the doses. They will also be responsible for the stock of needles, syringes (etc.) to administer the vaccine initially, before the State takes over.
Equipment in super-freezers
Beyond sixteen days after receipt, how will the vaccine be stored? To store the doses of vaccine against Covid-19, you need special equipment: super-freezers, which are faster to freeze and more powerful to go down to very low temperatures. Some hospitals already have them, but for others, deliveries are notified between December 10 and January 10.
They will be kept in spaces secured by a code or a key, between 5 and 20 square meters and constantly monitored. Insofar as handling products at -80°C requires a particular technique, the designated hospital staff will be trained on the issue.
Remember that following the recommendations of the High Authority for Health (HAS), the government has refined the vaccination strategy. Residents of nursing homes and staff of these establishments presenting a risk will be vaccinated as a priority. Then in the second stage, vaccination will be extended to people at risk of developing a serious form of the disease and to caregivers.
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