How the Corona vaccine safely reaches the patient

But how does the temperature-sensitive vaccine actually get there?

The initial plan is to transport the vaccines from the vaccination centers themselves to the nursing homes or directly to the patient. This will be done either in passive cooling solutions (insulated transport boxes with cooling packs) or active cooling systems (electrically regulated cooling boxes). The temperature should be monitored with so-called data loggers (thermometers with internal data recording).

Passive cooling solutions:

Passive cooling boxes have the advantage of great flexibility, as they are available in different sizes, temperature ranges and run times. A passive cooler is an insulated shipping system in which cold packs passively ensure the desired temperature range to be maintained. Passive coolers have the disadvantage of being very attentive to the proper preconditioning of the cold packs, and cannot actively respond to changing temperature scenarios. For example opening the parcel too often or improper use can quickly cause the product to exceed or fall below the desired temperature range, putting the product at risk.

Active cooling solutions:

Active, mobile cooling solutions have the distinct advantage of being very easy to use, even by untrained staff. Since the system actively regulates the temperature consistently in the correct target range without interaction, it can be easily started at the push of a button to maintain the cold-chain on its own.

For pharmaceutical cooling systems, such as the NelumBox, the system can be operated on battery power for a longer than 16 hours. Hereby, the system can actively warn and react to any external influences. Being connected to the Internet at any time, the system allows to view both their temperature, as well as location or door openings in real-time to the Cloud. Therefore, no additional data loggers are needed, whereas the whole system can both be viewed and controlled remotely, e.g. by the responsible staff at the vaccination center.

Active cooling solutions are therefore particularly recommended for mobile vaccination, especially for doctors and nursing staff. They allow a clear focus on the actual task, the vaccination, and help the logistical challenges for mobile vaccination teams become child’s play.