Rural hospitals say they can't afford ultra-cold freezers needed to store Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine - Entrepreneur Generations

Pfizer Inc. has created a promising coronavirus vaccine, but there's a problem: most rural hospitals can't afford the ultra-cold freezers needed to store it. That means rural residents may have a harder time accessing the vaccine, Olivia Goldhill reports for Stat.

"The vaccine has to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius. Typical freezers don’t get that cold, making distribution of this vaccine a logistical nightmare," Goldhill reports. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised state health departments against purchasing ultra-cold freezers — which cost $10,000 to $15,000 each — saying other vaccines with less demanding storage requirements will be available soon. Hospitals with money to spare are flouting this guidance. Four major health care systems, from North Carolina to Ohio, North Dakota, and California, told STAT they had bought additional ultra-cold freezers, while Jefferson Health in Philadelphia said it has leased five units."

Nearly half of rural hospitals in the U.S. were operating at a loss as of April, and the pandemic has hurt their bottom lines even more, according to Alan Morgan, chief executive of the National Rural Health Association. So the hospitals that are least able to afford a freezer serve some of the people most vulnerable to the coronavirus, he told Goldhill.

Another problem is that Pfizer will ship the vaccine in dry-iced containers with at least 1,000 doses. Once the containers have been opened, the vaccines are good for 15 days tops, and only then with scrupulous attention to re-icing and limiting how often the box is opened. "The time pressure is more intense in rural areas, where the longer delivery time eats into the number of days when the vaccine can be safely stored in their boxes upon arrival," Goldhill reports. "Regions with smaller populations will struggle to use the thousand-dose supply in the necessary time period, creating a risk some of the vaccines will go to waste, though Pfizer plans to have smaller boxes available by early 2021. In contrast, the vaccine can be stored in ultra-cold freezers for six months."

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/38JOJPc Rural hospitals say they can't afford ultra-cold freezers needed to store Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine - Entrepreneur Generations

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