The Pfizer Vaccine can now be stored at fridge temperature for up to a month as the current limit is just 5 days, says Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on May 20th.
HSA said that once thawed, the vials can be kept at refrigerator temperature (2 to 8 degrees Celsius) for a month. The new storage condition was approved after a thorough review of the application and supplemental data submitted by Pfizer. HSA has determined that the thawed, undiluted COVID‐19 vaccine remains stable when stored at standard refrigerator temperatures (2 to 8 degrees Celsius) for 31 days. The long-term storage of the vaccine remains at minus 70 degrees Celsius.
This is said to greatly facilitate the transportation and local distribution of this vaccine to vaccination centres, as well as their storage and use at the centres.
The newly extended storage condition at refrigerator temperature is a “significant improvement” over existing storage conditions, said HSA CEO Mimi Choong.
“HSA’s evaluators will continue to conduct rigorous and efficient assessments of evolving scientific and real-world data, to facilitate Singapore’s continued access to critical COVID-19 vaccines and medicines and support our nation’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Choong.
As of May 9th, about 1.8 million people in Singapore have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 1.2 million of them having completed the full vaccination regimen.
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