Immunization is one of the biggest cost-effective public health interventions to date. WHO estimates that nearly 2 to 3 million deaths are prevented each year through immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine (DTP).
What’s more, the estimated global demand for vaccines totaled 3.5 billion doses in 2018. And now, with the multibillion-dollar race for a COVID-19 vaccine, the global supply and demand for vaccines have become even greater.
The effectiveness of vaccines relies on their potency; they should be at full strength to trigger an adequate immune response. Unfortunately, providers every year endure serious financial losses due to vaccine storage errors.
Maintaining a precise temperature-controlled cold chain is an effective way of ensuring vaccine potency. So how do you safely store and handle your vaccine supply? Here’s a comprehensive checklist based on CDC’s recommendations:
Designate primary vaccine coordinator and a back-up coordinator, and ensure that they review the Vaccine Management Plan Binder and the training materials offered by the state or local health department’s immunization program.
The coordinators should oversee the storage and handling of the vaccine inventory and manage it in each other’s absence. Both should be aware of how to execute emergency and routine SOPs.
You need staff members who have undergone proper training and are aware of the facility’s SOPs. CDC recommends that the organization must have all training sessions documented along with participant names and dates.
Designated staff members should undergo training periodically when:
Facilities must store vaccines in pharmaceutical-grade, purpose-built biomedical refrigerators, and lab freezers. The cold chain solutions should have microprocessor-based temperature controls with digital temperature sensors for precise temperature management.
Here are some guidelines:
North Sciences offers a great selection of medical-grade refrigerators and freezers that comply with CDC and FDA recommendations of vaccine storage and handling and protect the vaccines’ potency.
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