Impact of COVID-19 on access to cooling globally

The document details the socio-economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 and the logistical barriers to achieving global herd immunity. It highlights that the extreme cold-storage requirements of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines created significant accessibility gaps for countries lacking advanced cold-chain infrastructure, citing India as a specific example where the cost and scale of required equipment would be prohibitive.

• The COVID-19 pandemic caused severe socio-economic distress, driving between 119 and 124 million people into extreme poverty and disproportionately affecting women in developing countries, where 70 percent of the female workforce operates in the informal sector.
• Pandemic-related measures led to widespread social disruptions, including school closures affecting 1.5 billion students, 370 million children missing approximately 40 percent of school meals, and 94 million children in 26 countries missing measles vaccinations by October 2020.
• Achieving global herd immunity requires vaccinating 60–70 percent of the population, but the sub-zero storage requirements of early vaccines (Pfizer at -70°C and Moderna at -20°C) created barriers for regions lacking extensive cold-chain infrastructure, as most routine vaccines only require 2 to 8°C.
• The Pfizer vaccine is considered unlikely to be a viable solution for India due to the high cost and scale of required sub-zero cold storage; individual cold boxes capable of -80°C cost between USD 10,000 and USD 20,000, which is prohibitive for most developing countries.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on access to cooling globally. https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2021/impact-of-covid-19-on-access-to-cooling-globally

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Impact of COVID-19 on access to cooling globally. 2021. https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2021/impact-of-covid-19-on-access-to-cooling-globally.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Impact of COVID-19 on access to cooling globally |date=2021 |url=https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2021/impact-of-covid-19-on-access-to-cooling-globally |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2021impact, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Impact of COVID-19 on access to cooling globally}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2021/impact-of-covid-19-on-access-to-cooling-globally}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }