Dry ice will be necessary to transport some of the COVID-19 vaccines, including one by Pfizer that has received emergency approval from the FDA.
In a small parking lot in Cambridge, there’s a big piece of the vaccine distribution process happening 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“We get the load in, we prepare it to go out and we already have orders for the vaccine transportation,” said Marc Savenor, owner, Acme Ice.
Acme Ice has been distributing dry ice for 40 years and has the one thing everyone needs right now.
“Everybody is just looking for dry ice,” said Savenor.
Why is that? At a temperature of minus 109 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s cold enough to transport Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine which will be delivered to hospitals and long term care homes first.
“We’ve gotten requests from as far away as California, Seattle, Arkansas,” said Savenor. “You name it they called us.”
The dry ice either comes in pellets or blocks. Either way about 100,000 pounds of it gets shipped every day.
Coronavirus Pandemic
Full coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak and how it impacts you
“We’re delivering to whomever calls us,” said Savenor.
The ice arrives in Cambridge from a warehouse in Palmer where it is made. American Carbonation Corporation has distributors across the northeast. It’s scooped into boxes, packed up and loaded into trucks. Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide.
“It’s necessary to transport the vaccines in a very portable refrigerant which is dry ice,” said Savenor.
He said once it’s loaded into special coolers, dry ice can last about 3 to 4 days. It’s critical time in the race to end this pandemic.
“We’re in the 9th inning right now, tie game and the only way to do it is win,” said Savenor “So here we are ready to go and we are going to win this battle.”
