GREENSBORO, N.C. — One of the hottest items for hospitals arrived at Cone Health Wednesday and it's actually pretty cool.
An ultra low-temperature freezer was delivered to Moses Cone Hospital from High Point University as the Triad gets closer to receiving its first coronavirus vaccines.
The freezer is on loan to store the first batch of doses. Pfizer's vaccine needs to be kept ultracold. Doses may only last a month without being kept in a freezer.
"It will store to about -86 degrees centigrade," Dr. Buddy Lingle said.
Lingle is the dean of the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy at High Point University.
"They will not be having to use dry ice and trying to find dry ice to be able store the vaccinations," Lingle said.
The freezer arrives days before the FDA could approve the vaccine for emergency use.
"This will allow us to hold onto that vaccine before it expires for up to six months," Dr. DeAnne Brooks said.
Brooks is Cone Health's Chief Pharmacy Officer.
The freezer can store tens of thousands of vaccine doses and Brooks said 5,850 doses will arrive at Moses Cone Hospital in the first shipment.
"I know that we will be administering our first vaccines next week and that's very exciting," Brooks said.
Cone Health said these doses will be enough to give nearly half of Cone Health the first vaccine. They'll need future shipments for second doses and to cover the rest of the staff.