More flexibility to store Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

It would not be necessary to store the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a storage temperature of -25 to -15 ° C as it currently is, thus allowing more flexibility in distribution.

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Health Canada announced Wednesday that it will allow storage at a cooling temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius at the point of use for up to one month.

It was Pfizer-BioNTech that submitted this request on May 10, while analysis of vaccine storage conditions continued over time.

“This change means that there will be more storage options for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will allow for more flexibility in distribution plans,” the federal agency said in a statement.

Health Canada says it has “determined that the undiluted COVID-19 vaccine remains stable when stored at standard cooling temperature for 31 days”.

Initially, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was to be maintained at a storage temperature of -80 to -60 ° C. On March 3, the Canadian Department of Health allowed -25 to -15 ° C storage for a maximum of two weeks.