Azernews.Az

By Trend

All the four vaccines used in Azerbaijan [against COVID-19] have passed the stage of clinical trials, Elmin Guliyev, head of the Department of Drugs and Medical Products of the country’s Union for Management of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB), said, Trend reports on Aug.13.

According to Guliyev, in general, despite their biological origin, vaccines are also medicines, which belong to a more vulnerable group of drugs, and therefore their storage, transportation, use and production are more difficult and require a more responsible approach compared to other drugs.

"These vaccines [against COVID-19] have been tested not only in our country, but also in the laboratories of WHO and advanced countries, but since they are new drugs, their safety is constantly being studied," he noted. "From vaccine production to their use, it’s necessary to comply with the requirements of the cold chain [complex of equipment, processes and measures to ensure storage of pharmaceuticals at low temperatures from manufacture to use]."

"This means that these vaccines are stored in refrigerators, but the storage conditions differ from each other. For example, Coronavac and AstraZeneca vaccines must be stored at two-eight degrees above zero, and Pfizer's vaccine requires the use of an ultra-cold chain, that is, it must be stored at 60-80 degrees below zero. Another vaccine, SputnikV, must be stored at 20 degrees below zero," the representative of TABIB also said.

He stressed that the country has developed a system for monitoring the transportation of each of the mentioned vaccines, that is, monitoring compliance with the requirements of the cold chain.