Covid-19 vaccine. Image courtesy: ThedaCare.
MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — The state of Wisconsin will receive a greater initial allocation of the yet-to-be-approved Moderna COVID-19 vaccine than it did of the Pfizer vaccine.
State officials on Wednesday confirmed the state will receive 100,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine once it’s approved by the FDA. Dr. Stephanie Schauer is managing the state’s vaccine strategy.
“The allocation size of the Moderna vaccine really allows us to get doses to those smaller clinics, more rural clinics,” she said Wednesday.
Those rural clinics will also benefit from easier storage requirements. The Moderna vaccine requires storage at around -20 degrees Fahrenheit, and while that’s cold, it’s nowhere near as cold as the -95 degrees that the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at.
“Because it doesn’t require the ultra cold storage, the vaccine from Moderna can go straight to the vaccinators,” DHS Secretary Designee Andrea Palm told reporters.
The state received around 50-thousand doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which healthcare workers started receiving this week. Those vaccines were shipped out to regional hubs which contain the necessary cold storage units to store the vaccine.
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