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Cold Chain Doubts Delay Vaccine Distribution in Germany

Vaccines sent to certain German cities may have reached up to 7 C higher than the acceptable temperature range in transportation.

A medical worker prepares a syringe to administer the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
A medical worker prepares a syringe to administer the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Photo Credit to World Economic Forum

Problems with the transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech sent to southern Germany have led to 1,000 shots being sent back, according to a Reuters article.

This vaccine uses mRNA technology and must be stored at ultra-low temperatures of about minus 70 C before being shipped to distribution centers in specially designed "cool boxes" filled with dry ice. These cool boxes must maintain temperatures of 2 C to 8 C during transportation in order to remain effective for up to five days. Each is outfitted with GPS trackers so the companies can deal with potential storage issues en route.

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