Three institutions in Marin County have volunteered to donate freezers for the novel coronavirus vaccine expected to arrive this month.
The vaccine, manufactured by Pfizer and Germany-based BioNTech, must be stored at –70 Celsius, an ultra-low temperature, which has made storage space a challenge for Marin County.
But help has come swiftly, from BioMarin, Dominican University and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Eric Verdin, president and CEO of the Buck, said the institute is pleased to be able to assist with providing storage on-site at its Novato campus.
“This is equipment that we have available so, for me, it’s just a no-brainer that we should be trying to help our community … and we’re glad to do so,” said Verdin. “Most vaccines can actually be kept either in the cold or at room temperature. This is why the county didn’t have large enough freezers in stock.”
Verdin said he became aware of the need after one of his assistants came back from attending a county meeting and reported that Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County’s public health officer, had expressed some anxiety that there weren’t enough freezers available.
Willis told the Marin Independent Journal on Dec. 1 that the donated freezers will become “local hubs of distribution for the doses that would go along with the very first phases.”
He doesn’t yet know how many doses the county will receive, but at least 10,000 people will need the vaccine in the first round, which will be administered to front line health care workers, staff and residents at nursing-home facilities, and others considered most vulnerable. Because the vaccine is given in two doses, 20,000 vaccines would be required, he told the outlet.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., headquartered in San Rafael, is donating several specialized freezers to store vaccines for COVID-19, and is coordinating the transfer and installation of the units for Marin County, according to company spokeswoman Debra Charlesworth.
The company uses these types of freezers in its operations to store pharmaceutical products and reagents used in laboratory experiments, she said, noting none of the donated freezers will be located on a BioMarin campus.
“BioMarin is working closely and urgently with Marin County Public Health to work through the specifics around the donation of freezers,” Charlesworth said. “The donation of these units is consistent with BioMarin’s long history of giving back to the community.”
Charlesworth said that earlier during the pandemic, BioMarin donated supplies for health care professionals working on the front lines of the novel coronavirus. BioMarin made in-kind donations of lab equipment, products that can be used for testing and safety glasses to hospitals in Marin County, the East Bay and San Francisco.
Dominican University of California’s offer to donate freezers is currently on hold, said Sarah Gardner, executive director of communications and media relations of the San Rafael-based college.
“Things are moving along rapidly. Marin Public Health let us know Friday that they have been able to obtain two freezers for use on their premises,” Gardner said. “Our freezers are now being viewed as backup locations should the county need them for this initial batch of vaccines. We are more than happy to continue to offer freezer space if it is needed at any time.”
Dominican’s faculty researchers use these types of freezers to store samples, biological materials and chemical reagents for research in the university’s biological sciences and biochemistry programs, she said.
“The ultra-low temperature allows for samples to be stored at an even temperature for a long period of time,” she noted.
Gardner also said Dominican has been in talks with Marin Public Health about the possibility of its nursing students administering the vaccines for practicum credit, as well as offering its testing location for vaccinations. Nothing has been finalized as of yet, she said.
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Coronavirus vaccine on the way, along with “cool” help - North Bay Business Journal
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