Coronavirus: How Indian airports are preparing for distribution of chilled vaccines

New Delhi, Dec 07: As some of the coronavirus vaccine trials across the world are in their final stages, the central government has started preparations to handle the distribution of vaccines in the country at ultra-low temperatures.

While no COVID-19 vaccine has yet been approved, the vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is the most advanced in the process and could be ready for rapid production and distribution next month.

But it needs to be stored and shipped at minus 70 degrees Celsius while Moderna's candidate has to be kept at -20C, at least until the drugs have reached their destinations where they can survive in normal fridges for short periods.

While, the vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is stable at normal fridge temperatures of 2C to 8C so it has more transport options.

Financial capital Mumbai is already taking the lead in this direction. Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is expected to play a pivotal role in storing and distributing the vaccine in India as it is home to Asia's largest Pharma-dedicated import cold zone, which has a cold storage capacity of 30,000 tonnes.

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport has two cargo terminals with world-class infrastructure that provides GDP (good distribution practices)-certified temperature-controlled facility for handling temperature-sensitive cargo.

''This facility has state-of-the-art temperature-controlled zones with separate cool chambers ranging from 25 to -20 degree Celsius, which would be extremely conducive for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines," a Delhi International Airport Limited spokesperson said to a leading daily.

GMR Hyderabad airport said the terminal is equipped with various temperatures ranging from -20 to 25 degree Celsius with state-of-the-art equipment and cool containers to cater to product-specific requirements.

Pfizer India became the first pharmaceutical firm to seek the DCGI nod for its COVID-19 vaccine after its parent company secured clearance in the UK and Bahrain.