Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can be stored in normal fridges, company says

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can be transported in a liquid state at household fridge temperatures, the company said in an updated handling guide released today.

The Moderna vaccine is awaiting final authorisation by the European Medicines Agency on 12 January.

If kept in controlled conditions, the vaccine can be transported in a liquid state at 2-8°C, easing the logistical burden of transporting the vaccine to more remote locations.

The company said that this ensured barriers to being vaccinated were lowered. The vaccine remains stable at standard refrigerator temperatures of 2° to 8°C for 30 days, it added.

The EMA is expected to authorise the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine on Monday but this has to be transported using special containers packed with dry ice and kept at -70°C.

Meanwhile, Moderna said the European Commission has purchased an additional 80 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine. As part of the EU-wide procurement, the Commission has purchsed 160 million doses from Moderna to be distributed among member states.

“We appreciate the confidence in Moderna and mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, demonstrated by this increased supply agreement with the European Commission,” Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Bancel said.

Earlier in the week, EMA announced it would bring forward the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine authorisation. The authorisation is expected on 21 December, and a roll-out across the EU including Malta, is expected to begin on 27 December.

READ MORE: Malta to start rolling out COVID-19 vaccine on 27 December