Mubasher: The US pharmaceutical company Pfizer has started a pilot delivery programme for its experimental coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine in four US states, Reuters reported.

This decision aims to face the challenges facing the ultra-cold storage requirements of the vaccine, which must be shipped and stored at -70 degrees Celsius.

This storage requirement is significantly below the standard for vaccines of 2-8 degrees Celsius.

The US drugmaker company has selected Rhode Island, Texas, New Mexico, and Tennessee for the pilot programme, taking into consideration their differences in size, diversity of populations, and immunisation infrastructure.

The company confirmed that the vaccine doses will not be distributed in the four states earlier than other states as a result of the programme.

The company forecasts to have enough safety data on the vaccine from the ongoing late-stage trials by the end of November before applying for emergency use authorisation (EUA).

"We are hopeful that results from this vaccine delivery pilot will serve as the model for other U.S. states and international governments, as they prepare to implement effective COVID-19 vaccine programs," Pfizer said in a recent statement.

It is noteworthy to mention that on 9 November 2020, Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech announced that their vaccine candidate has shown over 90% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in participants without evidence of prior infection, based on the first interim efficacy analysis.