Stirling Ultracold announced its range of SU780XLE Upright, SU105UE Undercounter and ULT25NEU Portable ULT freezers have played a central role in getting vaccines to patients and are supporting stability, ultra-low temperature flexibility and effectiveness to safely store, administer and build for future COVID-19 vaccine campaigns.
Given both vaccines’ specific temperature requirements for long-term storage, Pfizer-BioNTech between ‑80ºC to ‑60ºC (‑112ºF to ‑76ºF) and Moderna between -25°C and -15°C (-13°F and 5°F), risk for mass vaccine loss skyrocketed and last mile logistics quickly became a tricky pursuit as vaccines began shipping out. Stirling Ultracold offers commercially available freezers capable of storing any COVID-19 vaccine candidate requiring ULT storage during the last mile delivery. Examples include:
· To prepare for distributing vaccines to its 9,000 locations, Walgreens developed a hub-model storage plan that designated many of the bigger or more remote stores as hub locations to receive vaccine shipments. To equip the hub centers, Walgreens purchased 300 portable freezers and 105 undercounter freezers from Stirling Ultracold. The hub locations, outfitted with a ULT freezer, manage the ebb and flow of supply and can also act as administration centers themselves. Stirling Ultracold freezers are now in Walgreens stores across the country, in 49 states. The company is confident its long-term plan has prepared it for future outbreaks and has enabled it to scale even faster, bringing hope to millions of Americans ready to put this pandemic in the past.
· Major General José Reyes, Adjutant General to the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, has set a goal to vaccinate at least 85% of the Puerto Rican population by Aug. 31, 2021. With Stirling Ultracold’s vaccine-ready ULT storage infrastructure now in place, General Reyes plans to extend the use of this hub and spoke cold chain beyond this pandemic for future vaccination efforts on the island and feels confident that he has chosen a freezer capable of covering the full gamut of ultra-low temperature storage from -20°C to -86°C.
· Working with available CARES Act funding for COVID-19, and coordinating with the University of North Carolina System, Dr. Jeff Warren of North Carolina Policy Collaboratory and his team were able to purchase 63 Stirling Ultracold ULT freezers. Under the name “Operation Deep Freeze,” this order included 32 large upright units, 29 portable models and two mid-sized undercounter units. The combined storage capacity of these new ULT freezers is estimated to hold enough vaccines for the entire state of North Carolina. The units have been deployed to 15 UNC campuses, with each location receiving both upright and portable models. Soon, all 63 ULT freezers will be in service, storing frozen vaccines at 15 UNC vaccination sites around the state, including six rural and HMSI locations.
