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The distribution process is expected to be particularly complex Pfizer coronavirus vaccine in the global community. A prerequisite for distribution to begin is obtaining permission from the competent authorities, who will consider the vaccine to be safe and effective.
The announcement of the pharmaceutical company presenting the candidate vaccine 90% efficiency It caused a stir around the world, fought the pandemic and waited for such news until the beginning of the end of the pandemic.
However, the discovery of the vaccine was the first milestone. Authorities are now testing a new challenge, securing millions of doses, distributing them to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, where two doses will be injected into citizens.
TO United StatesIf Pfizer receives the vaccine license from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company could, in theory, vaccinate millions of Americans before the end of the year. Also, in the previous months you had proceeded with the planning, while the decades of experience you have behind your account.
“I am very sure” He said Tanya alcorn, a company executive, who oversees the supply chain, and noted that Pfizer has developed a system that “Don’t waste valuable vaccines.”
Multilevel cooperation is required for distribution
However, the process does not belong only to Pfizer, nor to other pharmaceutical companies that can obtain their own vaccine license. TO United States Distribution requires collaboration between a network of businesses, federal and state authorities, and healthcare workers amid a rapidly spreading pandemic.
According to the New York Times, before distribution begins, the federal government and states will have to say where and how many installments to send. At the same time, McKesson, a medical provider, will have to provide hospitals and other distribution points with syringes and all the supplies needed to make vaccine.
Employees must be trained to properly store and administer the vaccine. They must also make sure that citizens who take the first dose return four weeks later for the second. And millions of Americans must be persuaded to get vaccinated.
Scientists are concerned about the project and how it can be carried out successfully. Even under normal circumstances, mass vaccination campaigns are complex and require the mobilization of a wide network of providers, transporters and intermediaries.
“Headache” to ensure proper transportation
Distribution of the Pfizer vaccine is expected to be even more complicated. The vaccine developed in collaboration with the German BioNTech should be stored at temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius until shortly before infusion. The required temperature is considered to be much lower than many other vaccines.
At the same time, other results are expected from companies that appear to be close to developing the coveted vaccine. THE Modern announced that it is also close to a result, in a vaccine with similar technology to Pfizer.
Another nine companies are also in the final stages of testing. If any of them get FDA approval, it will reduce the importance of the Pfizer vaccine, but it will raise new questions about which hospitals and citizens will receive the different vaccine.
In the coming weeks, if the efficacy and safety of the Pfizer vaccine is confirmed, an emergency clearance may be requested from the FDA. In this case, the limited doses will be given to large hospitals and pharmacies and given to healthcare workers and other vulnerable groups. But the details of how the process will take place are still unclear. In the United States, Pfizer does not yet know how the government wants the vaccine to be distributed.
The complex distribution chain from factory to consignee
The vaccine is manufactured in facilities primarily in the USA in Kalamazoo and in Belgium. In the United States, vaccines are delivered in vials, with each vial containing five doses. The vials are placed in trays (195 vials per tray), which are transported in specially designed boxes, with the appropriate temperatures (up to five trays per box).
Pfizer plans to have about 100,000 such refrigerators by the end of the month and more than double by March.
The reusable boxes, each containing 1,000 to 5,000 doses and filled with dry ice, are equipped with GPS sensors. By monitoring locations and temperatures, the coolers can be transported to hospitals and clinics with FedEx and UPS. Representatives for the two companies said they plan to play a major role in vaccine distribution and are ready to begin the process.
When your refrigerators Pfizer Once they reach their destination, hospitals and pharmacies have some options on how to store the vaccine. The easiest is to use special freezers, but this option is not available everywhere. Otherwise, the trays can be stored in conventional freezers for up to five days. Additionally, vials can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 15 days as long as the dry ice is replenished and is not opened more than twice a day.
Governments will decide the order of vaccination
The next question is about vaccination, an answer that governments must give.
This year, Pfizer expects to make $ 50 million dose. Half of that will probably go to the United States. Since each person needs two doses, about 12.5 Americans can be vaccinated. This means that very tough and difficult decisions will have to be made about who will get vaccinated, as the doses are considered small.
Another challenge concerns the distribution of the vaccine in rural areas, where the distribution may not be fast enough, resulting in the destruction of the vaccine. At the moment, there is no information on how the process will be carried out.
And, of course, industry players are considering the possibility of citizens resisting vaccineboth in the US and around the world.
However, if and when the vaccine is approved, all of this seems secondary since, as market executives claim, distribution issues are not considered insurmountable problems.
With information from the New York Times
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