The storage is owned by Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC) and UK’s biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. According to VNE, the 117,600 doses is the first batch of the 30-million-doses contract between VNVC and AstraZeneca Group to arrive in Vietnam. Other batches will be delivered later soon.

The staff uses specialized vehicles to transport the vaccine (divided into 10 packages) into the cold storage minutes after necessary procedures are completed. All the doses are thoroughly checked prior to storage.

The super-cold storage has strict regulations in line with GSP standards to keep the vaccines at the required temperature. It’s well-noted that all workers must strictly comply with GSP and GDP regulations, as well as wear personal protective gear, and follow anti-pandemic measures.

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is refrigerated at 2-8 degrees Celcius and stored in the multilayer-locked room. The vaccine can be stored, transported and handled under normal refrigeration (2-8 degrees C) for at least 6 months, which facilitates usage under existing medical facility conditions.

On top of that, VNVC’s three super-cold storages can accommodate other vaccines requiring ultra-cold temperatures, including Pfizer-BioNTech which must be refrigerated at minus 70 degrees C. All three storage systems are equipped with a GSM alarm system, a wireless security product and remote device control. The system uses cold gas and cascade refrigeration, which involves two or more vapor-compression cycles with different refrigerants.

“We’re proud to be the first unit in Vietnam qualified enough to import, store, supply and distribute a wide range of COVID-19 vaccines for inoculation. The most decent manpower are deployed to operate the super-cold storage system in line with specific requirements”, Tran Thi Trung Trinh – quality control director at VNVC, was quoted by VNE.

According to vietnamtimes.org.vn