Proper storage and handling begin with an effective vaccine cold chain. A cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain that includes all vaccine-related equipment and procedures. The cold chain begins with the cold storage unit at the manufacturing plant, extends to the transport and delivery of the vaccine and correct storage at the provider facility, and ends with administering the vaccine to the patient.
If the cold chain is not adequately maintained, vaccine potency may be lost, resulting in a useless vaccine supply. Vaccines must be stored properly from the time they are manufactured until they are administered. Potency is reduced every time a vaccine is exposed to an improper condition. This includes overexposure to heat, cold, or light at any step in the cold chain. Exposure to any inappropriate conditions can affect the potency of any refrigerated vaccine. Once lost, potency cannot be restored.
Prior to launch, vaccines and other pharmaceutical products undergo robust stability testing to check their performance at a specific temperature and humidity conditions. Data from testing is then used to identify the conditions a vaccine can be stored at without impacting its performance. Therefore, it is essential to maintain temperature-controlled cold chain conditions from vaccine production until administration. Ultimately, storing vaccines in the right conditions keeps them effective. Temperature ranges may also differ for each vaccine.
Research from the World Economic Forum has highlighted that over 50% of vaccines are wasted each year globally because of temperature control and logistics issues.
COVID-19 vaccine products may impact the types of vaccine storage units and temperature monitoring devices used to maintain the cold chain, including ultra-cold storage. Temperature ranges for COVID-19 vaccines may also differ from those for other vaccines.
Carefully review the COVID-19 vaccine storage and handling information about which storage units and monitoring devices are appropriate, including specifications for monitoring devices that monitor ultra-cold temperatures, how best to monitor temperatures, and how a specific vaccine product’s cold chain requirements may affect other vaccines in a storage unit.
Proper vaccine storage and handling play critical roles in efforts to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases. Unfortunately, vaccines exposed to storage temperatures outside the recommended ranges may have reduced potency, creating limited protection and resulting in the revaccination of patients and lakhs of rupees in the wasted vaccine.
Ensuring vaccine quality and maintaining the cold chain are shared responsibilities among manufacturers, distributors, public health staff, and health care providers.