Blog

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program provides vaccines at no cost to children whose families may be unable to afford them. Since its implementation in 1994, the program has prevented over 508 million illnesses and saved over 1.1 million lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Program participants must rely on vaccine data loggers to maintain quality and safety in vaccine distribution.

The CDC recently issued more stringent requirements for storing vaccines in medical-grade refrigerators or freezers. VFC compliance now requires all refrigerators to be equipped with vaccine data..

Temperature monitoring is essential in the medical industry, which stores valuable vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and research samplescosting hundreds to thousands of dollars in refrigerators or freezers. Products maintained at inappropriate temperatures can deteriorate their potency, potentially causing serious issues such as rendering medications ineffective. NIST temperature sensors connected to remote monitoring systems provide the capability to track temperature changes in refrigerators and freezers to ensure product integrity.

New COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have brought to the public’s attention the importance and challenges of maintaining ultra-low temperatures for vaccines and other pharmaceuticals. Both vaccines have to be kept at very low temperatures and can be shipped and stored in a specialty freezer for up to six months. In addition, specialty freezers containing the Pfizer vaccine can’t be opened more than twice a day and need to be closed within one minute of opening. And once it’s thawed, the vaccine can only be stored in a refrigerator for five days.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged businesses and government facilities in unique ways. Many have to operate under conditions where employees are working off premises. Others have had to limit their on-site staff in order to follow social distancing requirements. Many commercial buildings sit empty, while essential businesses like utility plants must remain operational. It has become more important than ever to monitor these workplaces around the clock to mitigate threats to facilities, equipment and inventory.

If critical vaccines and other pharmaceuticals are stored at an unsafe temperature for too long, they can lose their potency. For patients with chronic illnesses, taking a damaged dosage can be life-threatening. But even common medicines can break down and have harmful effects, and it can be difficult to tell the difference between a compromised product and a safe one. That's why pharmaceutical and vaccine providers must take appropriate measures to ensure all pharmaceutical products are stored at the correct temperature.

Medical tissue samples, critical vaccines, pharmaceutical products and other frozen or refrigerated inventory can be ruined if the exact temperature is not maintained while in storage. Or they can fall out of compliance if their temperature is regulated. In addition, several regulating bodies provide temperature standards, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program, and state and local health departments. Storing cold pharmaceutical products presents additional challenges.

Proper storage of pharmaceuticals from research and development through dispensing is crucial to ensure that the products remain safe and effective. Temperature and humidity can have drastic effects on drugs and their ingredients. If stored at the wrong temperatures for even a short period of time, they can become ineffective, lose potency or even become harmful to patients.

When you want to know the temperature outside, you might check your wall thermometer. Or maybe you check your phone. Or you go outside and see how it feels. There are many ways to get temperature readings. The same is true for the remote monitoring systems used to prevent facility and product damage.