Va Q tec : From production to vaccination – CoVid-19 vaccines must be transported at specific temperatures

The functionof gene-based vaccines, such as vector-based and mRNA vaccines, and the challenges of their temperature-controlled logisticshave come into the public eye in recent months. The graphic above illustrates and explains the temperature ranges required during the various stages of this highly temperature-sensitive logistics chain. It has been shown that the requirements do not depend on the basic type of vaccine but vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Reliable, secure handling using special thermo-boxes and containers for the supply of raw materials to produce vaccines is already required during their manufacture. In many cases, these also must be transported constantly at temperatures as low as -70°C, sometimes even over several days. Since very large quantities of these raw materials are often transported within one load, the production of many millions of doses depends on such a delivery. Therefore, a maximum secure temperature chain is essential to ensure optimal availability and product quality of the vaccines.

This also applies to the international shipment of large quantities of the finished vaccines (so-called bulkdistribution). Constantly low subzero temperatureranges between -20°C and -70°C are necessary to ensure their effectiveness. These temperatures must also be ensured during regional distribution of the delivered bulk volumes starting from the airport.

Many manufacturers state that their vaccines can be transported and stored at refrigerator temperature, i.e. between 2°C and 8°C. However, this information only refers to the so-called 'last mile', i.e. the final route of small quantities to the vaccination stations, old people's homes or doctors' practices, where they are vaccinated promptly and have to be stored in refrigerators for a maximum of a few days or weeks. Even on this last transport route, the temperature must be consistently maintained to ensurefull effectiveness.

va-Q-tecoffers reliable, secure door-to-door solutions for all stages of these particularly temperature-sensitive supply chains. More information can be found at https://va-q-tec.com/en/business-areas/healthcare-and-logistics/products/