Preparing for the transportation and storage of the COVID-19 Vaccine
Now that the COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use, the healthcare industry must continue to support high demand distribution. For the vaccine to keep its effectiveness, temperatures during transit and in storage must be precise. If temperatures vary by even a few degrees, the vaccine could lose its potency and potentially harm those injected, meaning the product must be discarded. In a time of high demand, every dose is invaluable, and waste must be avoided at all costs.
CenTrak’s Environmental Monitoring solutions automate the temperature monitoring process – increasing staff efficiencies and removing the chance of human error associated with manual logging. The CenTrak system provides your facility with the ability to record and track temperature and condition data in order to meet compliance standards through a wireless battery-powered sensor. If the temperature falls outside of the predetermined threshold, the system will generate an audible and visual alert at the source and send an email or text to specified staff members. In the event of a power or network outage, the sensor will continue to monitor the temperature and log the data.
Pfizer, the first pharmaceutical company to release the COVID vaccine, requires a storage temperature between -80⁰C and -60⁰C. Many environmental monitoring sensors are not equipped to measure temperatures so low. CenTrak offers a unique monitoring solution with its Ultra-Low Sensor. The sensor, which is FDA and CDC vaccine compliant, uses high quality, NIST certified probes to ensure accurate temperature measurement for extreme low-temperature storage. The sensor can be installed in freezers at hospitals or pharmacies, and in portable storage containers used for distribution. CenTrak offers sensors capable of monitoring vaccines from Moderna as well, where such extreme temperatures are not required. The COVID-19 vaccine has been a major investment financially and is critical to the health of many at risk of this novel disease. It is crucial that the vaccine is stored correctly, and that staff is informed immediately if temperatures begin to shift.
Environmental monitoring is also critical in providing accurate test results and treatment. For example, people who are extremely ill with coronavirus are being treated with the convalescent plasma of those who have recovered from the disease. The antibodies help to reduce the severity and length of sickness. If the plasma is stored at incorrect temperatures, the treatment may not only be ineffective, but it could be lethal. Another use case for temperature monitoring is the containment of diagnostic testing. Aside from the typical office or pharmacy testing, drive through testing centers have risen in popularity in recent months. Clinics and drive through testing sites can be open for many hours and perform many tests a day. It is imperative that the specimen collected from the test be stored at the correct temperature to ensure an accurate result is delivered.
COVID-19 has disrupted the healthcare industry and has put a strain on resources. With testing more widespread and a vaccine being distributed; the end of the pandemic is finally in sight. CenTrak’s environmental monitoring solution can help your facility prevent waste, maintain a high standard of patient care, and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.
About CenTrak’s Ultra-Low Senser:
- -90 °C to -30 °C (+/- 0.5 °C)
- Reliable and accurate temperature sensing
- Patented Guaranteed Data Delivery (GDD*) after network outage via stored data
- NIST traceable calibration
- Instant button-initiated temperature measurement
- Multiple cable lengths and types for a variety of applications
- Multi-year battery life with low battery alerting feature
- Local audible and LED visual alerts when outside user-selected range
- Configurable reporting rates
- Door ajar sensing
CenTrak’s Ultra-Low Sensor comes equipped with an LCD screen, ultra-low probe, and buffer agent. The sensors operate over Active UHF and can operate over any Wi-Fi CCX network as needed. They also have Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity for local setup and monitoring to tablet and smartphone applications. Maintenance and management are easy. The CenTrak family of temperature and environmental sensors offer extreme battery life, are fully configurable in the field, and allow for wireless upgrades. Reporting rates can be configured as frequently as 1 minute to capture threshold events for high time resolution.
