Dry ice is a hot commodity because of the vaccine
Massachusetts suppliers are helping to keep Pfizer-BioNTech shipments at minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit.
By Anissa Gardizy Globe Staff,Updated December 17, 2020, 10:36 a.m.
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doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech were administered across the United States on Monday, it marked the beginning of a mass distribution
effort that hinges on an unlikely product: dry ice.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine needs to be kept at minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit, far beyond the capability of traditional freezers. But dry ice â which is frozen carbon dioxide â has a surface temperature of minus-109.3 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it a sought-after product for shipping and storing the vaccine.
‘Waiting For The Call’: Cambridge Dry Ice Company Ready For COVID Vaccine Distribution
CBS Boston 12/10/2020 Syndicated Local – CBS Boston
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) – With the announcement of a vaccine distribution timeline in Massachusetts on Wednesday, there’s now a focus on shipping the lifesaving doses. To do that, manufacturers and hospitals need dry ice. The extremely cold product is now a hot commodity that is necessary to keep the doses from spoiling in storage.
At Acme Ice in Cambridge, there has never been more on the line. Owner Marc Savenor says his supply of dry ice is like white gold right now. “We are just happy to be part of the supply chain that’s moving around the vaccine,” he said.