NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — With a COVID vaccine on the horizon, dry ice manufacturers in the Tri-State are gearing up for a surge in demand.
Dry ice will be needed to get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines from manufacturers to hospitals at subzero temperatures.
Anthony Armato, who owns Armato Ice, Dry Ice & Firewood Co., a major supplier of dry ice on the Upper West Side, said he is preparing for business to skyrocket.
“We have been in contact with numerous hospitals in the New York and New Jersey area, where they are basically procuring their dry ice,” Armato said.
Ultra-cold freezers hospitals are seeking are also on backorder, increasing demand that has already been higher this year than in the past.
“The food delivery businesses, the groceries, the wholesalers, guys like that who are delivering to your door, have all upped their dry ice demand,” Armato said.
He said he is concerned that with a vaccine coming, there may not be enough dry ice to go around.
There are a couple of challenges in getting dry ice, one of them being that it’s not made in New York.
“We just had a major dry ice shortage this summer that just went through. The worst I’ve ever seen. At times, I have a hard time getting my hands on it as well,” Armato said.
And once dry ice is obtained, the clock is ticking.
“If you buy dry ice and just left it in a cooler for three days. You open that cooler, it’s gone like magic,” Armato said.
A 10-pound slab of dry ice lasts 48 to 60 hours inside of a Styrofoam or plastic cooler.
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