Cold chain contingency reminder
Environment Canada has issued a wind warning affecting Hastings and Prince Edward counties, with strong winds expected to increase the risk of power outages. Given the critical importance of maintaining proper vaccine storage temperatures, we urge our partners to take immediate precautions to prevent vaccine product loss.
Recommended actions:
- Review the vaccine storage and handling guidelines and ensure a hard copy is available for staff.
- Have a contingency plan for equipment malfunctions, power outages or other emergencies. This should include a partnership with another cold chain site that could assist with temporary vaccine storage if needed.
- Keep a cooler with its own max-min thermometer on-site for short-term vaccine storage and transportation.
- Designate staff members as primary and backup cold chain contacts responsible for vaccine management.
Requirements:
Vaccines must be stored between 2°C and 8°C to maintain their potency and effectiveness. When the vaccine storage refrigerator varies above or below these temperatures, this is known as a cold chain incident and must be immediately reported to your local public health authority. This includes minor excursions between +1.5 to 2.0°C, and +8.0 to 8.5°C.
If a cold chain incident occurs:
- Separate exposed vaccines by placing them in a labelled container or bag marked DO NOT USE. If the refrigerator is not currently stable, move the vaccines to a stable monitored vaccine refrigerator or cooler as per your contingency plans.
- Call Hastings Prince Edward Public Health at 613-966-5500 x 222 or 1-800-267-6511. A manager is on-call after-hours.
- Check to ensure your temperature monitoring device is working correctly. Ask yourself:
- Is it in the correct place?
- Does the battery need to be changed?
- After checking the temperature monitoring device and the refrigerator, record the date, time, and current maximum and minimum temperatures and record them in your logbook.
- Fax the most up-to-date temperature logbook, (including the previous two weeks worth of temperatures) to 613-966-8145.
Do not discard any exposed vaccines until HPEPH has assessed whether they can still be used.
Failure to report temperature excursions may result in suspension from ordering additional doses of publicly-funded vaccines.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
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