Pakistan arranges storage containers for COVID-19 vaccines

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has arranged modern storage containers for COVID-19 vaccines which are likely to start arriving in the country in phases from mid-March, citing sources, ARY News reported on Saturday.

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) provided free-of-cost Covid vaccine storage containers to Pakistan following a grant from Asian Development Bank (ADB), sources told ARY News.

The modern storage containers will arrive in Pakistan in mid-March which will be used for storing the Pfizer vaccines which need ultra-low temperatures up to -70 degrees. The cold chain system in Pakistan has a capacity of -20 degrees to store temperature-sensitive commodities.

Read: Pakistan decides to buy ultra-cold refrigerators to store Pfizer vaccine

The modern storage containers will be given to the Centre and provinces in most affected areas. It emerged that the containers will initially be given to the 15 most-affected cities of the country, sources said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pfizer Covid vaccines are likely to arrive in Pakistan during the next three months in Pakistan.

Earlier on February 13, Pakistan had decided to buy 21 ultra-cold modern refrigerators with an aim to store Pfizer vaccine as the country will start receiving doses of Pfizer vaccines from the Covax platform.

Read: Pakistan to get 17.2mn doses as Covax issues distribution list

COVID vaccine made by Pfizer may be stored in an ultra-cold freezer between -80°C and -60°C (-112°F and -76°F).

COVAX ensures equitable worldwide access to Covid-19 vaccines with enough doses for countries to immunise more than three per cent of their populations by mid-2021.

The distribution plan comes with lower-income countries falling behind in the vaccination race — a problem Covax was set up to address.