Ask the Experts: COVID-19: Storage & Handling

Results (2)

You may find guidance on the storage and handling of each COVID-19 vaccine in the CDC’s Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit addendum on COVID-19 and mpox vaccines: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/admin/storage/toolkit/storage-handling-toolkit.pdf.

CDC has produced “At-A-Glance” summaries for each COVID-19 vaccine, including storage and handling conditions.

Immunize.org has assembled links to key COVID-19 vaccine storage and handling resources in the Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools: www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3130.pdf.

Last reviewed: March 19, 2024

Although routine transportation of vaccines to different facilities is not generally recommended, there are times when this is necessary. CDC recommends transporting COVID-19 vaccine in unopened vials or manufacturer-filled syringes (MFS) and always with a continuous temperature monitoring device to ensure adherence to authorized storage times and temperatures.

Details are provided in the CDC Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit addendum on COVID-19 and mpox vaccines: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/admin/storage/toolkit/storage-handling-toolkit.pdf.

There may be instances when the only option is to transport vaccine in a predrawn syringe. CDC refers to the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) guidance for transporting predrawn vaccine in syringes in the USP COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit: Operational Considerations for Healthcare Practitioners. The complete document provides detailed guidance on COVID-19 vaccine transport and is available for download at no charge from this site: www.usp.org/covid-19/vaccine-handling-toolkit.

Last reviewed: March 19, 2024

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