Moderna’s Low-Maintenance Vaccine Has Edge for Rural Hospitals

The Moderna Covid-19 vaccination’s easier storage requirements and smaller shipment batches could give it an edge in rural areas where hospitals may not have the specialized freezers needed to store Pfizer’s shot.

Moderna could get an emergency authorization to begin shipping out its vaccine as early as Friday, just a week after Pfizer cleared the same hurdle. Where Pfizer’s vaccine needs to be stored in ultra-cold freezers long term and must be used within five days of thawing, Moderna’s option can be kept in a regular refrigerator for up to 30 days, giving less populated areas more time to use their supplies.

Both vaccines require two shots and are similarly effective at preventing Covid-19, but Moderna’s simpler storage requirements have some rural areas leaning toward that even though Pfizer doses are already being shipped.

Most rural facilities in Colorado opted for the Moderna vaccine because it was easier for them to store, according to Michelle Mills, chief executive officer for the Colorado Rural Health Center. However, rural providers who opted for the Pfizer vaccine haven’t reported had any issues with storage so far, she said.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee Thursday recommended authorizing the Moderna vaccine. The agency is expected to green-light it this week, which would kick off shipments next week of roughly 6 million doses, Operation Warp Speed officials told reporters this week.

Moderna’s smaller shipments could be another boon for rural areas, Alex Azar, head of the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters this week. There are roughly 1,000 doses in each tray of Pfizer vaccine when it’s dropped off at a distribution site. Moderna’s smaller package size may work better for more sparsely populated areas, Azar said.

Smaller Batches of Pfizer Possible

There are ways to get smaller batches of Pfizer’s vaccine to rural or remote areas. AeroSafe Global, a company that specializes in cold chain vaccine shipments, is able to break up larger batches of Pfizer vaccines allotments into smaller, customizable quantities.

Thousands of less populated locations are asking for smaller shipments, CEO Jay McHarg said. AeroSafe’s packaging can accommodate as few as five doses, which makes it easier to ensure low-population areas will have just the right amount of product, he said.

How vaccines get to rural areas is ultimately up state allotment plans, Gen. Gustave Perna, head of distribution efforts for Operation Warp Speed, told reporters Dec. 14. “We can deliver it any place where there’s an enrolled vaccine provider,” he said.