How to Transport Vaccines for an Off-Site Clinic

[Music] vaccines must be handled stored and transported with care to ensure their effectiveness in this short video you'll learn how to define planned transport for vaccines and identify the steps and materials needed for planned also known as non-emergency transport to get started plan transport refers to the redistribution of vaccines to satellite or off-site vaccination clinics it also could refer to the movement of doses that are about to expire so they can be used where they are needed rather than wasted ideally vaccines should always be shipped from the manufacturer to Administration sites transporting vaccines between sites should only be done when necessary when planning an off-site Clinic such as a community vaccination event it is best to have the vaccine delivered directly to the facility if this is not possible it may be necessary to transport the vaccines when planning for transport calculate the time of transport and ensure the transport and Clinic work day do not exceed 8 hours for example if transport to an off-site Clinic is 1 hour each way the clinic may run for up to 6 hours if transporting directly to a new destination the Total Transport time should be under 8 hours unless the manufacturer guidance says differently if you must transport vaccines here are four steps to a successful process step one determine the transport system and gather the necessary supplies portable vaccine refrigerator units are the preferred vaccine transport system when available however for short trips qualified containers and PE out materials may be used transport should be reserved for ref refrigerated vaccines only Frozen vaccines should not be transported outside of an emergency step two pack vaccines for transport follow your facility's transport plan when packing refrigerated vaccines if the vaccine requires a diluent ensure there are equal amounts of vaccines and diluent you also can refer to the CDC storage and handling toolkit for detailed packing instructions packout materials used with your qualified containers can include coolant materials such as phase change materials or conditioned water bottles for refrigerated vaccines insulated materials like bubble wrap or corrugated cardboard and a temperature monitoring device such as a Digital Data Logger or ddl step three monitor vaccine temperatures use a ddl to monitor any changes in temperatures if using a compy or personal vehicle to transport the vaccine place the vaccine container inside of the passenger compartment and not in the trunk or bed of a truck which may be too hot or Too Cold Move transport containers directly to a vehicle that is already at a comfortable temperature and avoid leaving containers in areas where they are exposed to direct sunlight always document temperature readings and how much time vaccines spend in transport on a temperature log step four arrive and unpack the vaccines at your destination before unpacking your vaccines at the destination make sure to record the time temperature and your initials in the temperature log then quickly transfer the vaccines to a refrigerated storage unit or administer them by the end of the vaccine clinic day take immediate action if you note any temperatures outside the recommended range this is called a temperature Excursion label any impacted vaccines do not use awaiting guidance and store them appropriately until a decision can be made about whether they are safe follow the steps outlined in your standard operating procedures Sops for temperature excursions which may include contacting the vaccine manufacturer for guidance for help with your vaccine related questions including those on storage preparation transport and administration contact CDC at nip info cdc.gov please visit cdc's website for more training and resources to support your vaccination efforts including the vaccine storage and handling toolkit pink book and you call the shots web-based trainings