Refrigerators and freezers are available in different types (stand-alone and combination) and grades (pharmaceutical, commercial, and household).

Stand-alone: These types are self-contained units designed as either refrigerator-only or freezer-only and range in size from compact, under-the-counter styles to very large pharmaceutical-grade units.

Combination: These types have both a refrigerator and a freezer with separate exterior doors.

Pharmaceutical: These purpose-built grades are specifically designed to maintain consistent temperatures for storage of vaccines or biologics in pharmacy, biologics, or laboratory settings.

Commercial: These grades are intended to store food and beverages in commercial settings. They are often larger and more powerful than household units but are not designed to store biologics and experience some temperature fluctuations.

Household: These grades are intended for food storage, typically in homes and offices.

Participating providers agree to use or purchase vaccine refrigerators that meet these requirements:

• Maintain consistent temperatures between 36.0ºF and 46.0ºF (between 2.0ºC and 8.0ºC);
• Ensure compact units with a capacity of 11 cubic feet or less are pharmacy- or biologic-grade;
• Have sufficient capacity to store all the practice’s refrigerated vaccines, along with sufficient water bottles to stabilize temperatures;
• Defrost automatically;
• Seal tightly and close properly;
• Be used primarily for vaccine storage. In limited circumstances, medications or biologic media (not inoculated) may be stored on the shelves below vaccines.

Not all refrigerators are designed to maintain proper temperatures that protect vaccine viability. When evaluating existing or shopping for new vaccine refrigerators, select the required grade and type by practice volume.

*These units may require additional water bottles to maintain stable temperatures. Contact your VFC Field Representative for guidance.

Participating providers agree to use or purchase vaccine freezers that meet these requirements:

• Maintain consistent temperatures between -58.0°F and 5.0ºF (between -50.0°C and -15.0ºC);
• Be either a stand-alone unit, or a pharmacy- or biologic-grade combination unit;
• Have sufficient capacity to store all the practice’s frozen vaccines, along with sufficient frozen cold packs to stabilize temperatures;
• Defrost automatically (manual is acceptable if the office has access to an alternate storage unit when defrosting the freezer; the alternate storage unit must be able to maintain recommended temperatures and be monitored using a VFC-compliant data logger; temporary storage of vaccines in a cooler is unacceptable);
• Seal tightly and close properly;
• Be used only for vaccine storage.

Not all freezers are designed to maintain proper temperatures that protect vaccine viability. When evaluating existing or shopping for new vaccine freezers, select the required grade and type by practice volume.

*These units may require additional frozen cold packs to maintain stable temperatures. Contact your VFC Field Representative for guidance.

Refrigerators with cooling plates or coils are not allowed. The following storage units do not meet California VFC Program specifications and may not be used to store VFC-supplied vaccines:

Participating providers agree to buy new storage units under the following circumstances:

• existing vaccine storage units do not meet VFC Program specifications
• your practice has had storage incidents resulting in spoiled vaccines

Before Purchasing Vaccine Storage Units

Make sure they will fit in a designated space that meets VFC Program requirements. Vaccine storage units should be placed

• in rooms with good air circulation,
• away from direct sunlight and any heat sources,
• within reach of an outlet (without an extension cord) that is not shared with any other appliances or controlled by a wall switch, and
• with at least 4 inches of space around the top, bottom, and sides.

If you are unclear about vaccine storage unit requirements, contact your VFC Field Representative prior to making a purchase.

Time spent up front organizing your vaccine storage units will save you time later by reducing the frequency of preventable temperature excursions. Storage units should be organized for efficiency to reduce time spent searching for vaccines, administration errors, and vaccine exposure to room temperatures.

Prepare Vaccine Storage Units

Prepare vaccine refrigerators and freezers by maximizing space for vaccines, as well as water bottles or frozen ice packs that help to stabilize temperatures. Refrigerators and freezers must be set to the required temperature ranges:

Freeze MMR, MMRV, and Varicella at 5.0º F or below.
Refrigerate all other vaccines at 36.0º F – 46.0º F.

Set Up Vaccine Storage Units

Then set up refrigerators and freezers by designating separate spaces for VFC-supplied and privately purchased vaccines. Clearly group and label vaccines by pediatric, adolescent, and adult types.

Stabilize Temperatures before Storing

Make sure you have a VFC-compliant data logger that is set up and ready for use. Then monitor storage unit temperatures twice daily until temperatures have been stable in the required range for about 3-5 days before storing vaccines.