Vaccine storage

Vaccine storage relates to the proper vaccine storage and handling practices from their manufacture to the administration in people.^[2] The general standard is the 2–8 °C cold chain for vaccine storage and transportation. This is used for all current US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed human vaccines and in low and middle-income countries. Exceptions include some vaccines for smallpox, chickenpox, shingles and one of the measles, mumps, and rubella II vaccines, which are transported between −25 °C and −15 °C.^[3][4] Some vaccines, such as the COVID-19 vaccine, require a cooler temperature between −80 °C and −60 °C for storage.^[4]

In 1996, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to spread vaccines worldwide.^[5] This urges researchers to design storage for vaccines without losing its potency. Since then, the production of vaccines has spiked, and various kinds of vaccines have their handling practices. WHO has set standards to ensure cold chain and has different types of storage, including refrigerators, freezers, cold boxes, and vaccine carriers. Different types of thermometers are also used because a slight temperature change could result in loss of potency.^[6][7] The storage are necessary to improve vaccine shelf life and transport vaccine worldwide.