With the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, a lot of people are learning about an issue that pediatricians and other health care providers have been dealing with for a very long time – vaccines have to be stored at very specific temperatures.
What happens if they aren’t, if a vaccine gets too hot or too cold?
Then that vaccine likely won’t work as well or might not work at all.
Remote Vaccine Temperature Monitoring Devices
That’s why most people store their vaccines in pharmaceutical-grade vaccine refrigerators and freezers and use continuous monitoring and recording devices to make sure they stay at recommended temperatures.
These vaccine temperature monitoring devices will alert you to the slightest temperature fluctuations so that you can fix any small problems before they become bigger and damage your vaccines.
Did someone leave the vaccine refrigerator door open?
Is your vaccine freezer starting to fail?
Did someone accidentally unplug your vaccine refrigerator?
In any of these scenarios, you would rather know when the temperature rises a degree than come back a few hours later and find that your vaccines are ruined, right?
But what happens if no one is in the office? Who’s going to hear the alert from your vaccine temperature monitoring device then?
Remote Vaccine Temperature Monitoring Devices
That’s right, no one…
That’s why, to be safe, you should have a remote vaccine temperature monitoring device!
These devices can send you an email or text if there is a problem, so that you can get an alert even if you are at home, at the gym, watching your kids play soccer, or even if you are sleeping.
So why doesn’t everyone have one of these remote vaccine temperature monitoring devices keeping their vaccines safe?
It’s probably a combination of the fact that they aren’t necessarily cheap, seem complicated to install, and most folks probably think that they will never need them.
After all, how often do refrigerators and freezers break down? And how often does the power go out for extended periods of time?
How often do natural disasters leave folks without power for extended periods of time?
Tragically, these things happen more often than any of us would like to think about, including prolonged outages from hurricanes, fires, and severe winter weather, etc.
So in addition to using a generator that will last for more than a few days and a vaccine refrigerator and freezer than can hold their temperatures without power for an extended time, to help keep your vaccines safe, you should consider using a remote vaccine monitoring system like the:
- Temperature Guard – can monitor up to eight wired temperature sensors from your vaccine refrigerators/freezers and sends alerts over an analog phone line or cellular network – so will work even if your power and WIFI is out!
- InTemp CX402-VFCxxx with CX Gateway to get remote notifications of temperature excursions
- ThermaData WiFi Vaccine Storage Digital Data logger – uses your existing Wi-Fi router network to send email, text, and mobile alerts when alarm limits exceeded
- SensoScientific wireless temperature monitoring system that requires one monitoring device for each vaccine refrigerator/freezer
- Sensaphone remote monitoring solutions can also be used with a cellular modem to monitor multiple vaccine refrigerators and freezers
- SmartSense with wireless sensors, an ethernet or cellular gateway, and dashboard
- Lascar WIFI Dual Channel Vaccine Monitoring Kit with Cloud Based Data Storage and Logger Management
- Lascar Better Accuracy WiFi Vaccine Monitoring Kit with Visual and Audible Alarm
- VFC 350 WiFi monitor both your fridge and freezer
- VFC 300 WiFi monitors just your fridge or freezer
- LogTag VFC400-WiFi Vaccine Monitoring Data Logger Kit
- Traceable WIFI Data Logging Refrigerator/Freezer Thermometer Compatible with TraceableLIVE Cloud Service
- VTMS wireless vaccine temperature monitoring system from MadgeTech
- DicksonOne enabled touchscreens with glycol thermistor sensors
- EL-WiFi-VAC – remote vaccine monitoring and data collection over a WiFi network
- EL-WiFi-VACX – built-in sound and LED light-up alert functions plus remote monitoring over WiFi
- Accsense Wireless Vaccine Temperature Monitoring Kit with a gateway and support for up to 16 sensor pods
- Comark RF312-TP WiFi Temperature Data Logger with free remote monitoring and cloud storage which sends text messages and email alerts (calibration certificate extra)
- LogTag vaxtag with an LTI-WM-WiFi Interface Cradle
There are many others too, including some with sensors for ultra-cold temperatures, like that are required for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines.
How do you pick a remote vaccine monitoring system?
It might help to check with your state Vaccines for Children program to see if they have a recommendation. You might even be able to get a remote vaccine temperature monitoring system that can be used as your primary data logger.
What else?
You want real time automatic text or e-mail alerts when temperature alarms are triggered, but you don’t want to be bothered by false alarms. Do you want an alert every time the internet or power is out for 5 seconds or 5 minutes?
And be sure that the one you use includes a calibrated probe that is buffered in glycol or glass beads.
The recommendation for a calibrated probe is why you shouldn’t use many of the less expensive options that are marketed for other uses, like:
the Temp Stick– an all-in-one sensorThermoPro TP50 Digital Hygrometer Indoor Thermometer– this is a room thermometerLa Crosse Alerts Temperature Monitor & Alert Kit– includes a dry probeORIA Refrigerator Thermometer– no calibrated probe
You might think you are saving money with these cheap monitors, but if they don’t keep your vaccines safe, in the long run, you are going to end up losing your vaccines and a lot of money.
More on Vaccine Storage and Safety
- Maintaining the Cold Chain for COVID-19 Vaccines
- COVID-19 Vaccine Challenges
- Handling Vaccine Storage Problems
- What’s Your Plan for Storing Vaccines During an Emergency?
- Buying a Vaccine Refrigerator
- Transporting Vaccines Safely
- COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring Systems
- Which Vaccines Need to be Frozen?
- Which Vaccines Need to be Refrigerated?
- Intro to Digital Data Loggers
- Data Logger Feature Comparison Guide
- Digital Data Logger Pre-Purchase Worksheet
- CDC – Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit
- IAC – Ask the Experts about Vaccine Storage and Handling
- Vaccine Temperature Monitoring
- Vaccine Temperature Monitoring: 5 Best Practices
- The Ultimate Guide to Vaccine Storage and Temperature Monitoring
- Demonstration of the Use of Remote Temperature Monitoring Devices in Vaccine Refrigerators in Haiti
- Vaccine Storage and Handling -Updates, Challenges, And Partnerships For Nursing
- Cellular and Land Line Phone Dialers
- WHO – Vaccine temperature monitoring devices
- WHO – How to Monitor Temperatures in the Vaccine Supply Chain
- What to Do When a Refrigerator Temperature Is Too High or Low
Pingback: The New Pfizer COVID Vaccine Storage Guidelines - VAXOPEDIA