Ultra-Cold Freezer at BMC Ready for COVID-19 Vaccine
Ninety-six year old World War II Veteran Margaret Klessens is the first VA patient nationwide to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, at VA Bedford Healthcare System today at 12:07PM.
— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) December 14, 2020
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center was prepared Monday for the first delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19.
The vaccine, given emergency authorization for use last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, must be kept at super cold temperatures of at least minus-70 degree Celsius. It's being distributed in a packaging — the so-called "pizza box" — that will allow doses to be kept cold with dry ice for at least a few weeks.
But it's easier to use an ultra-cold freezer, which arrived at BMC on Wednesday from the Berkshire Innovation Center.
The American BioTech U-86 ultra-low temperature freezer is on loan to the hospital at no cost.
"We are deeply grateful to the Berkshire Innovation Center and its staff for helping Berkshire Health Systems in its efforts to effectively distribute the COVID-10 vaccine," Director of Media Relations Michael Leary wrote in an email.
The freezer is in operation at a staggering minus-80 degrees Celsius, as cold as the South Pole. It is capable of holding up to 2,000 doses of the vaccine, which has to be stored at this temperature to maintain its stability.
Gov. Charlie Baker last week said the Pfizer vaccine will be provided to all individuals without charge through a three-phase process that prioritizes high-risk individuals in health care and congregate care settings.
Berkshire Medical Center is one of the 21 hospitals in the state selected to begin receiving the novel coronavirus vaccine this month. It is expected to get at least one of the batches that yield 975 doses and to vaccinate all willing employees in order of priority. This particular vaccine requires two inoculations a few weeks apart.
BMC staff will protect their hands by using ultra-cold sensitive gloves to retrieve the vaccine. A wireless monitoring system similar to other systems BMC uses for its regular freezers will be installed so that staff can be immediately alerted if any variation in temperature should occur.
Tags: COVID-19, vaccinations,
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