ST. LOUIS — The city of St. Louis' top health official on Tuesday said the government has acquired "super-cold storage units" for distribution of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Fredrick Echols, acting director for the city's Department of Health, told a coronavirus committee of the Board of Aldermen that the equipment would aid in distribution of the vaccine, initially for health care workers, then those age 65 and older. The Pfizer vaccine, which is developed in part at the pharmaceutical giant's Chesterfield facility, must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius.
Echols said the city is "best positioned" as it can be while it awaits vaccine units, which would be administered by federally qualified health centers, such as those run by Affinia Healthcare.
He said the city anticipates that it could receive the units seven to 10 business days after a Dec. 10 meeting of a Food and Drug Administration committee on vaccines.
The FDA is set to review the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use. CNBC reports that emergency authorization would allow some people to receive the vaccine while the FDA continues to review it, which could take months.
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