Moderna vaccine expected to hit Mid-Missouri this week

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Health workers could get the Moderna vaccine as soon as Monday.

A spokesperson for Cedarhurst, a long-term care community with a facility in Columbia, said it would be getting about 70,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine possibly this week.

Both the Food and Drugs Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have now approved the Moderna vaccine.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are similar, with around 95% effectiveness, but experts say Moderna's vaccine is a bit more flexible.

The Moderna vaccine can be stored in normal freezers at about negative 4 degrees Fahrenheit and does not require a super-cold transportation network, while the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at about negative 105 degrees Fahrenheit in a specialized freezer.

The storage temperature makes the Moderna vaccine more accessible for smaller facilities and local communities.

While the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for people 16 and older, the Moderna vaccine is recommended for people 18 and older.

When it comes to vaccination, Moderna's vaccine is administered as two 100-microgram doses given 28 days apart, while Pfizer's vaccine is administered as two 30-microgram doses given 21 days apart.

ABC 17 News contacted several mid-Missouri hospital networks to find out about Moderna vaccine deliveries but has not heard back.