The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in Singapore has approved the new storage condition for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be stored at refrigerator temperature (2 to 8 degrees Celsius) for up to 31 days.

This will greatly facilitate the transportation and local distribution of this vaccine to vaccination centres, as well as their storage and use at the centres, which is important in ensuring the steady progress of our vaccination programme and protect more Singaporeans.

The new storage condition was approved after a thorough review of the application and supplemental data submitted by Pfizer.

HSA has determined that the thawed, undiluted COVID‐19 vaccine remains stable when stored at standard refrigerator temperatures (2 to 8 degrees Celsius) for 31 days. The long term storage of the vaccine remains at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

“The newly approved extended storage condition at refrigerator temperature for up to 31 days is a significant improvement over the existing storage conditions,” said Dr Choong May Ling, Mimi, Chief Executive Officer of HSA.