SA can now keep Pfizer jabs in a bar fridge for a month
24 May 2021
Vaccine roll-out will be easier now that Pfizer confirms the lifespan of its Covid-19 vaccine in a refrigerator is more than six times longer than first estimated . (Photo by Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
This extends the shelf life of the doses six-fold from five to 31 days and will help to speed up the country’s vaccine roll-out because the new storage conditions will result in simpler logistics, cheaper equipment and less waste.
In a circular issued on 21 May, the health department instructed vaccination sites to follow the new guidelines with immediate effect also with regards to batches that have already been distributed.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has approved changes to the storage conditions for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, allowing it to be stored in a refrigerator for a month. This extends the shelf life of the doses six-fold – from five to 31 days – and will help to speed up the country’s vaccine roll-out because it means simpler logistics, cheaper equipment and less waste.
In a circular issued on 21 May, the Health Department instructed vaccination sites to follow the new guidance with immediate effect, also with regards to batches that have already been distributed.
The updated storage conditions follow similar approvals last week by the European and American regulatory bodies – the European Medicines Authority (EMA) and the Food and Drug Administration – based on new data provided by Pfizer.
New data confirms the lifespan
of a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in a bar fridge is 31 days, not 5 as originally
estimated
Adopting this storage policy would result in simpler logistics for site
managers, faster immunisation coverage, cheaper equipment and less waste
South Africa’s regulatory body has approved the change in storage
conditions and the health department sent out a circular on May 21 informing
vaccination sites that unopened, thawed Pfizer vials can be now stored in a fridge
for up to 31days.
South Africa’s medicines regulatory body, the
South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra), has approved changes to the storage conditions for
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Countries around the world have been racing to vaccinate their populations against Covid-19. South Africa’s programme started on 17 February 2021. By 10 May, it had vaccinated 395 230 people or 0.7% of its population.
But in April, South Africa suspended the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This was due to a joint advisory by the US Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control that detailed six cases of blood clotting in women who had received the vaccine.