PUNE: Leading health experts in the country have expressed concern over the number of cold chain facilities that will have to be readied to deploy vaccines with recommended storage temperatures as low as -70°C.
Former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr NK Ganguly, told TOI that most of the Covid vaccines being developed require super-cold storage and may prove difficult for even the most sophisticated cities to store and transport.
“Medical freezers that go down to -70°C or -80°C are rare even in American and European hospitals. Most, if not all the current vaccine frontrunners, require stringent cold chains, making them immensely challenging for India to deploy,” he said.
The concerns come amidst reports that said the Pfizer vaccine, which promises 90% efficacy, will need to be stored in -70°C. The Moderna vaccine too — its efficacy rating is expected by December-end — needs -20°C to survive. The experts said such vaccines will not be ideal for developing countries.
Ganguly said the Pfizer vaccine may prove to be a “logistical nightmare” for India, with heatwaves, widespread power outages and large rural belts.
