3 Things to Consider When Buying a Vaccine Fridge

We live in a post-Covid world. If we have learned anything from it, we know it’s always wise to prepare ourselves. This includes storing your vaccines properly.

This is where a vaccine fridge swoops in, and it must be every medical practitioner’s priority. 

The tricky part could be choosing a suitable medical fridge so you can store your vaccines for a long time. So, here are certain factors that you should be mindful of when purchasing a vaccine-storing fridge!

1. Insulated Doors or Glass Doors?

These fridges come with two distinct kinds of cabinets and doors. 

The first has a traditional frame with insulated doors and a cabinet, with the exterior made of metal or polymer. 

The other type of refrigerator has glass doors. These have become popular in recent times, especially when it comes to upright vaccine fridges. This is because it mitigates temperature fluctuation, which occurs very quickly when doctors walk in and out of the upright fridges. 

But glass-door fridges come with issues like vaccine losses and terrible cold chain accidents. They don’t have any energy-efficient shell; hence they require more electricity to maintain temperatures, which makes them difficult to manage.  

So, insulated door vaccine refrigerators with polymer or metal exteriors are a go-to.

2. Upright or Top-Opening Fridge?

The upright fridge is not the ideal option because they open from the front. 

When the door is swung open, the regulated temperature rushes out of the fridge. It also allows the warmer air circulating in the room to enter the refrigerator. It causes massive fluctuations in temperature, which isn’t suitable for the vaccines since they need around 2-8°C or 36-46°F at all times. 

On the other hand, any fridge with a chest-style cabinet that opens from the top works very well when it comes to stabilising the fridge temperatures. Scientifically, cold air is a bit heavier than warm air, which ensures that the top-chest style vaccine fridges can retain coolness, regardless of how many times it opens or close in the day.  

So, a top-opening chest-style vaccine refrigerator would be a better option.

3. Data Logger and a Good Minimum-Maximum Thermometer

Sure, you will browse through several options, but there is another crucial factor to consider. You need a fridge that offers precise temperature readings. 

Pick a vaccine refrigerator with a data logger and the best minimum-maximum thermometer. It must also fulfil all the recommendations and requirements specified by the government. 

Other Essential Features

Besides the top 3 features mentioned above, you need to look for the following fundamental properties:

  • Accurate digital controller to maintain proper temperature
  • Double temperature probes to secure adequate cooling throughout the fridge
  • If picking a glass fridge, choose a double-glazed safety glass that can lower the heat transfer in and out of the refrigerator and also boost energy efficiency.
  • Buffer plates that can keep the products from sliding into the extreme cooling zones
  • Audible alarms that ring every time the temperature fluctuates
  • Automatic doors that close when needed
  • Door locks to safeguard vaccines
  • Commercial compressors that can lower the temperature efficiently when the fridge door opens several times

So, in the end, you need to keep all the factors mentioned above in your mind before choosing a vaccine fridge. Otherwise, you will get into vaccine storage and spoilage troubles very often, leading to a tremendous waste of funds in the long run. 

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