What Happens If COVID-19 Vaccines Aren't Stored Properly?

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The Pfizer vaccine is coming soon to Ohio, and it has to be stored at -94 degrees Fahrenheit. Listener Jaymie from Shaker Heights asks what would happen if it isn’t stored at that temperature?

Dr. Robert Wyllie, chief of Cleveland Clinic’s medical operations, said the vaccine would be thrown away if it isn’t stored properly.

In order to be used, however, the vaccine does have to be warmed up, Dr. Wyllie said.

The Pfizer vaccine can be stored in a refrigerator for about 5 days, and at room temperature for about 6 hours.

“That does mean you have to be a little bit careful, if you’re going to use each dose effectively, about how many people are coming in that day,” Wyllie said.

 In practice, that may mean some people may be kept on a waitlist. If there are extra doses on any given day, people on the waitlist would be called in to eliminate waste, he said.

It is not unusual for vaccines to be stored at a prescribed temperature, Wyllie said. There are similar protocols for the flu vaccine.

“It’s not stored at room temperature, it’s cooled. And so we have to ensure from the time that leaves the manufacturer, til the time it gets to our loading dock, til the time it gets to a freezer, that it’s always at the appropriate temperature,” he said.

Temperature gauges are used to help ensure vaccines are stored properly, he said.