Japan will buy 10,500 Coronavirus vaccine freezers
In order to store new coronavirus vaccines, Japan will purchase 10,500 deep freezers and is considering buying dry ice in bulk as it prepares to protect its population from the virus, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday.
Japan has agreements with Pfizer Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc to purchase a total of 290 million doses of vaccines, or enough for 145 million people if everyone gets two shots as needed.
It is important to keep Pfizer’s vaccines at about minus 75 Celsius, and Moderna’s at around minus 20 C, posing problems with logistics.
The ministry reported in a statement that Pfizer, as well as Moderna and its domestic partner Takeda Pharmaceutical, are preparing to develop networks to hold vaccines at the required temperature as they are delivered to where they will be deployed.
Japan has had over 165,000 cases of novel coronavirus infection and 2,417 fatalities, especially hard hit by the capital, Tokyo.
Source: Japan Today
