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Employee = Getty, jointly receiving the vaccine from the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer at a hospital in South London on the 5th
The new coronavirus vaccine, which started in the UK on the 8th, was developed by the US pharmaceutical giant Physer and the German biotech company Biontech. We are also planning to inoculate this vaccine in Japan, but the challenge is handling the “ultra-low temperature” around 70 degrees below zero. A cold chain (low temperature distribution) should be established for domestic transportation from manufacturing bases abroad. (Taiki Fujikawa)
◆ Fragile vaccine
This vaccine is a new type called mRNA (messenger) vaccine. RNA is fragile and ineffective in a short period of time at room temperature. The effectiveness is said to remain for about half a year at minus 60-90 degrees, although it will take 5 days in a 2-8 degree environment.
Manufacturing bases are located in the United States, Belgium and Germany. Pfizer has developed an ultra-low temperature “cold box” that uses dry ice to transport the vaccine. With a temperature sensor compatible with the satellite positioning system (GPS), the position and temperature of the case can be confirmed remotely.
It is likely to be transported to Japan by air. According to Japan Airlines, there is also a “cold storage container” for cargo that requires temperature control, and has a history of transporting at ultra-low temperatures. The person in charge said: “The history (of the transport) has not been decided, but we would like to continue with the examination.”
◆ Secure 3000 freezers in Japan
Ultra low temperature freezer developed by PHC Holdings that can be lowered to minus 85 degrees = in Minato-ku, Tokyo
After arriving in Japan, the vaccine will be stored in an ultra-low temperature freezer. Although details such as the supplier have not been revealed, Secretary of State Katsunobu Kato explained that “we have secured 3,000 freezer units that can be stored at approximately minus 70 degrees Celsius.”
There are also manufacturers in Japan. Some products from “PHC Holdings” (Tokyo), a health and medical equipment manufacturer with the second largest proportion of ultra-low temperature freezers in the world, can be cooled to minus 152 degrees. An ultra low temperature freezer with a 528 liter content can hold about 22,000 5 ml vaccine packs.
Since this spring, orders from foreign pharmaceutical companies and distributors have increased, and in August the production system was strengthened by shifting the Gunma prefectural factory to two shifts. As of the end of November, the number of ultra low temperature freezers sold has increased 1.5 times over last year and is expected to double annually. Inquiries have also been received from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
◆ What is the inoculation system? Where is the freezer installed?
The government has signed a basic agreement to receive a supply of 60 million people from Pfizer by the end of June next year. Pfizer is conducting clinical trials on 160 people in Japan to apply for regulatory approval in Japan.
At a press conference on the 8th, the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, Norihisa Tamura, said: “I want to prepare the vaccination system as soon as possible.” An executive from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Welfare said: “I would like to vaccinate (elderly people and people with underlying diseases) within this year.”
However, how to vaccinate has not yet been decided. The number of insured ultra-low temperature freezers is 3,000, which is one for every 40,000 inhabitants by a simple calculation, and it is not decided where to install it. Furthermore, it is necessary to decide whether to specify the medical institution to be inoculated or to bring it to the inoculation site in a “cold box”.
M RNA vaccine (messenger)A vaccine that uses an artificially made genetic substance called mRNA. In the case of the new crown, the mRNA is administered into the body to produce the protruding protein characteristic of the new crown in the cell. Human immune cells judge this protein as an enemy, and if an antibody is produced, immunity can be gained.
