Pfizer trials Covid vaccine in four US states

Pfizer has started a pilot delivery program for its Covid vaccine in four US states,

Pfizer has started a pilot delivery program for its Covid vaccine in four US states, as the drug manufacturer assesses distribution challenges which have arisen as a result of its ultra-cold storage requirements.

Pfizer Covid Vaccine Trials Begin

The scheme will trial in Rhode Island, Texas, New Mexico, and Tennessee so that there is a variation in overall size, diversity of populations, immunisation infrastructure and varied urban and rural settings.

Pfizer released a statement saying: “The four states included in this pilot program will not receive vaccine doses earlier than other states by virtue of this pilot, nor will they receive any differential consideration. We are hopeful that results from this vaccine delivery pilot will serve as the model for other US states and international governments, as they prepare to implement effective Covid-19 vaccine programs.”

Last week, Pfizer released results from its stage three trials on its vaccine developed with German partner BioNTech SE which revealed it to be more than 90% effective.

Pfizer’s vaccine must be shipped and stored at -70 degrees Celsius which is way below the normal for vaccines of 2-8 degrees Celsius. Experts are unsure of whether it is actually possible to distribute Pfizer’s vaccine due to its extreme storage requirements.

On Monday, Moderna Inc said its experimental vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing Covid based on a stage three trial results, boosting hopes that vaccines will be available soon. Moderna’s vaccine does not need to be frozen at an abnormal level which gives it a major advantage over Pfizer’s vaccine.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use a new technology called synthetic messenger RNA to activate the immune system against the virus.