Over the years, vaccines have prevented countless cases of disease and saved millions of lives. There have been over 1 billion children being offered vaccinations in the last 10 years. Therefore, it’s extremely important to store and handle vaccines properly to ensure the potency of vaccines.
Vaccines are fragile, they are extremely sensitive to temperature, any environment with an improper temperature range would cause vaccines’ potency loss and even increase the risk of infection. Storage and handling errors can cost thousands of dollars in wasted vaccine and re-vaccination. However, temperature ranges are different depending on the type of vaccines. Proper vaccine storage and handling requires us to understand vaccines first. All inactivated vaccines require refrigerator storage temperatures between 35°F and 46°F (2°C and 8°C), while some other types of vaccines should be stored in the freezer requiring ultra-cold conditions. The COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer needs to be kept extremely cold: minus 70 degrees Celsius, while Moderna declared that its vaccine needs to be frozen as well, but only at minus 20 degrees Celsius. It is important to store vaccines properly according to the guidance of the manufacturer and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in order to maintain the potency of vaccines and avoid wasted resources, money, and time.
Strict testing and evaluation should be implemented before a vaccine is approved for use to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective for people. The evaluation usually takes years for most the vaccines, but it can be shortened during the emergency periods such as epidemics and pandemics. One of the examples is COVID-19, which has been identified within months rather than years. Creating a vaccine under 1 year is definitely not an easy task. While people all over the world are facing the threat of coronavirus, vaccine research and distribution are also achieving enormous progress at the same time. Now we have efficacious vaccines authorized by FDA, it’s crucial to store and deliver vaccines properly to bring the greatest impact on the pandemic as effectively as possible.
Vaccine management, including proper storage and handling procedures, is the basis on which good immunization practices are built. Vaccines must be stored properly from the time they are manufactured until they are administered. Proper maintenance of vaccines during transport is known as the cold chain. A proper cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain that includes all equipment and procedures used in the transport and storage and handling of vaccines from the time of manufacturer to administration of the vaccine. The significant components of the cold chain include knowledgeable staff, updated storage and handling plans on schedule, and reliable and appropriate equipment for vaccine storage and temperature monitoring.
How to Choose a Digital Data Logger for Vaccine Storage and Handling according to CDC?
Recommended functionality:
Alarm for out-of-range temperatures;
Current, minimum, and maximum temperatures display;
Low-battery indicator;
Accuracy of +/- 0.5℃ (+/-1℉) as certified by a current and valid Certificate of Traceability and Calibration;
Records continuously with memory storage of at least one month of data* (no less than 4,000 readings);
Data recording loops when memory is full;
Detachable, buffered temperature probe, that can remain in the unit while the temperature is displayed on the outside of the unit (near vaccines);
User programmable logging interval (or sampling rate) of 10 minutes or less.
Today, the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is in full gear, qualified and appropriate temperature monitor devices are crucial for proper handling and storage, especially for worldwide transportation. Every link in the cold chain must be strictly managed and monitored according to the guides. With worldwide cooperation, COVID-19 vaccines are preserved safely to ensure the efficacy as much as possible, being vaccinated against COVID-19 is the common aspiration of everyone. Elitech gives consumers a variety of professional options of continuous real-time temperature loggers with different temperature curves, please contact us for your best vaccine chain solutions.
