As it seeks to ensure that a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine can be properly stored here at the required temperatures, Ministry of Health (MoH) has invited bids for the construction of a cold storage bond at Kingston.
“There are a number of [COVID-19] vaccines now that will become available…. In terms of readiness, locally, we have been working to ensure that our cold chain can accommodate any one of the available vaccines — whether it’s minus 80, minus 20 or the normal 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. We have expanded our cold chain to ensure that we can deal with anyone of those vaccines,” Anthony said on Thursday.
In an advertisement published in Thursday’s edition of Stabroek News, the MoH invited sealed bids for construction of the “Upper Floor Cold Storage Vaccine Bond” at Kingston, Georgetown.
A ministry official confirmed to this newspaper that the construction of the bond is part of the ministry’s preparation for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Countries around the world are preparing for new types of vaccines that have been developed by Pfizer and Moderna Inc and which require lower temperatures for storage.
Pfizer’s vaccine needs to be stored at the temperature of -70C (-94F), significantly below the standard for vaccines of 2 to 8C (36-46F). With Guyana expected to benefit from a COVID-19 vaccine through COVAXX, it is still unclear which of the vaccines will be brought here.
