Why do the COVID-19 vaccines need to be kept so cold?
Dr. Cooke: The reason the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines need to be kept so cold is because of the mRNA used in these vaccines.
Leveraging mRNA technology has been pivotal in developing a safe, effective vaccine so quickly, but mRNA itself is incredibly fragile — it gets broken down very rapidly and easily. This inherent instability of mRNA is what has made developing an mRNA-based vaccine so challenging in the past. In addition, the biological material used to package the mRNA so it can be delivered as a vaccine is also somewhat unstable.
Fortunately, a lot of work has gone into developing methods and technology that make mRNA more stable, so it can now successfully be incorporated into a vaccine.
That being said, the first two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines will still require cold storage to ensure the mRNA within these vaccines remains stable. And when we say cold, we're talking around -100 degrees Fahrenheit for the Pfizer vaccine — which is much, much colder than what a standard freezer can achieve.
But, don't worry, these ultracold temperatures are only needed for storage. The vaccine is thawed before injection.
פון
https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/a ... d%20easily.
וואס מיינט mRNA?