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Manage your vaccines

Manage your vaccine

For vaccines to be potent and effective, they have to stay within a specific temperature range. When you order VFC or VFAAR vaccine, it’s your responsibility to maintain the right storage temperature, from the time the vaccines are delivered to your office right up until you administer a vaccine to a patient.

For information on managing your vaccines, consult Routine Vaccine Management – or this webpage.

Emergency or Out-of-Range Temperature? Click here

Receiving shipments

All staff who accept packages should know the importance of immediately storing vaccine, and know who your offices Vaccine Coordinator is.

When you receive a shipment from McKesson, immediately check the 3M MonitorMark Time Temperature Indicator, TransTracker C FREEZEmarker Indicator and/or ColdMark Freeze Indicator. These will show if the vaccine has maintained proper temperature during shipment.

  • Receiving vaccines
  • About 3M MonitorMark Time Temperature Indicators
  • About ColdMark Freeze Indicators

Separating vaccine

Private, VFC, and VFAAR vaccine can’t be used interchangeably – and we’ll verify this during our quality assurance visits to your site.

Clearly label VFC and VFAAR vaccine to distinguish it from privately-purchased vaccine. When you receive vaccine shipments, label them as you unpack and store them. You can request VFC and VFAAR stickers at no cost from us.

Storing vaccine

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Monitoring temperature

All vaccines must be refrigerated, except for Varicella. Varicella is the only vaccine that is stored in the freezer.

  • Fridge storage range
  • Freezer temperature range

Monitor temperatures twice a day using the Temperature Logs below, and keep records on file for 3 years.

  • Fridge temperature log (Fahrenheit, Celsius)
  • Freezer temperature log (Fahrenheit, Celsius)

All VFC and VFAAR sites are issued 2 LogTag digital data loggers (DDLs) with certificates of calibration from an accredited laboratory.

  • Starting and Stopping your DDL
  • Downloading Data from your DDL
  • Identifying and responding to alarms

Managing inventory

VFC/VFAAR providers can get help managing their inventory from these handy job aids and cheat sheets:

Get help

  • VFC101: This 90-minute session focuses on the policies, procedures, and practices of the VFC, VFAAR, and AFIX programs, designed specifically for health care providers’ office managers. Look for scheduled trainings on our Events page.
  • Contact TempCheck. Email TempCheck@phila.gov or call 216-685-6777 to reach Alexis Bridges and Adam Howsare, to help you with all of your storage and handling concerns.