A COMPANY specialising in rapid-response solutions which came to the rescue of care homes at the height of the pandemic is now helping to support safe delivery of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Eco, which has more than ten years' experience of delivering dry ice solutions to the pharma industry and the NHS, has capacity to produce 7.5 tons of dry ice per day to help keep the vaccine at its required temperature during transportation. Up to 50 million vaccine doses are expected to be produced by developers Pfizer and BioNTech in 2020, up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.

Eddie Black, managing director of Eco, said: “If there is extra capacity needed in the 'cold chain' logistics we can help with that.

“We already supply dry ice to support the pharma industry in the UK, including a university-backed programme of research into vaccines. We also supply the NHS.

“Dry ice is the only stable product on the planet when it comes to the safe transportation and storage of vaccines. It is used to safely transport medicines all around the world.

“There is going to be a big peak in demand to ensure this vaccine to fight Covid is transported safely at the correct temperature.”

It is expected that the vaccine will need to be stored between -70 and -80 degrees Celsius until the day it is used.

Experts have warned that the “cold chain” needed to transport the vaccines at these temperatures will provide a logistical challenge.

Mr Black said: “We have more than ten years of experience in the manufacture and supply of dry ice. It’s what our business was founded on. We are known for our quality and service and through our work to help the country during the pandemic we have also received praise for our rapid-response solutions."

The business, which has bases in Cockermouth and Annan, can be contacted on 01461 500 206.