The Center for Disease Control (CDC) continues to push for proper the storage and handling of vaccines. Medical-grade cold storage plays an extremely important role in meeting the CDC vaccine storage and handling guidelines with ease and confidence. There are very specific features that distinguish medical grade, pharmaceutical grade, or purpose-build (these terms are used interchangeably) units from your typical household refrigerator.
In the video below, we discuss the major differentiators between household combination units, dormitory or bar style refrigerators, and medical-grade refrigerators. These include things like the cooling technology used, quality, temperature stability, additional data features, and availability of crucial alarms. All of these things help providers meet the CDC guidelines and ensure safe and effective storage of vaccinations.
Why medical-grade cold storage for vaccines?
There are various risks when exposing vaccines to out of range temperatures. If vaccines are stored incorrectly they can lose their potency and become ineffective upon administration. This leads to poor patient protection and exposes the community to lower vaccination rates without them even knowing. If improper storage is identified, patients have to be called back into the office to be revaccinated causing them to lose confidence in their provider. This can be time consuming and expensive for all parties involved.
For more information on storing your vaccines in accordance with CDC guidelines, we have developed The Ultimate Guide to Vaccine Storage. Follow the link below for access.
