Vaccines are an essential tool in combating disease, something the ongoing pandemic has made abundantly clear. Currently, vaccines are available in two forms, virus-based, and the newer mRNA-based vaccines. Traditional viral vaccines are based on attenuated or inactivated viruses.
These types of vaccines are easy to produce and deliver, requiring simple refrigerated conditions to remain active. Newer RNA vaccines offer several benefits over traditional viral ones. This includes reduced manufacturing times, lower production costs, and most importantly, as they don’t use an inactive viral fragment, they can produce an immune response without any risk of the patient contracting the disease.
Either way, these vaccines need to be accurately and securely identified with vaccine information labels from production to delivery, and finally administration.
Refrigerated Vaccines
Optimally stored between +2°C (+35°F) and +8°C (+46°F) in refrigerators specifically built for vaccine storage, and transported in insulated containers with ice/gel packs, refrigerated vaccines require freezer-grade conditions to remain stable.
These specifically built fridges include temperature regulation mechanisms and improved air circulation, not available in traditional refrigerators. Deep-freeze vaccine storage labels are the best option for identifying these vaccines, as they withstand low temperatures and damp or humid conditions encountered during storage or transport.
Frozen Vaccines
Frozen vaccines require colder temperatures in order to stay active. They should be stores in stand-alone freezers dedicated for that purpose, kept between -15°C (+5°F) and -50°C (-58°F). Cryogenic vaccination labels should be used to identify these vaccines as their adhesive and printout are designed to withstand extremely low temperature conditions without failing or becoming smudged. When transporting them, dry ice should be used to ensure they remain stable and no loss of potency is observed.
Vaccination Labels for Tracking
Vaccines must be accurately tracked from production until they are finally administered. A key part of this is to ensure proper temperature monitoring and that staff is clear on appropriate handling and safety information. Temperature monitoring is typically done with data loggers and min-max thermometers.
They can record current temperatures and provide a record of the minimum and maximum temperatures achieved throughout storage or transport. Vaccine information labels with barcodes are a great way to ensure adequate tracking of vaccines, as they can be scanned at every step.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) can also be used to track vials and syringes, providing a real-time picture of your inventory. RFID tagged vaccination labels will also allow information to be updated post labeling, perfect for adding new languages or revising shelf-life data. Furthermore, smart RFID vaccine labels can also be produced to provide tracking information regarding the temperature environment. This allows individual vaccine products to be tracked for cold chain compliance.
Administration & Syringe Labels
When it comes time to administer the vaccine, it is also important that the syringes used are accurately labeled to ensure the correct dose is given. Vaccination labels for syringes that flag are preferred as they can be printed on two sides and their flag design ensures they will not conceal the contents of the syringe, or its graduation. These syringe vaccine labels are typically printed with the vaccine name, the dose administered, and date/time. They can also include barcodes for added traceability and to ensure errors down creep in during vaccine delivery.
Custom Printing Solutions
Vaccine handling and administration can require additional labeling solutions, including vaccine warning labels advising staff on the safe and proper use of specific vaccines. LabTAG can provide custom labels to meet your exact needs, with the experience and know-how to meet your specific labeling requirements, from vaccine storage labels to pre-printed labels to identify used or inactivated vaccines.