What should I do if my temperature monitoring device indicates my refrigerated vaccine has been stored between 32° and 34°F? Since the vaccine wasn’t “frozen,” will it be OK to use? And what about people who received the vaccine before we discovered the temperature excursion—will we need to revaccinate them?

This is a complex question that requires case-by-case review. First, while you’re assessing the situation, return the vaccine to proper storage temperatures and mark it “Do Not Use.” Then, contact your state or local immunization program or the appropriate vaccine manufacturer(s) to discuss the potential usability of the vaccine. They will need to consider several variables related to vaccine storage conditions. For example, their guidance will be affected by the type and accuracy of the temperature monitoring device, whether the temperature probe was in a liquid or was reading the temperature of the air, the type of vaccine involved, the length of time of the excursion, etc.

In general, if it can be reliably determined that the vaccine in question was not stored below 32°F and the manufacturer’s stability data concurs, most immunization programs and vaccine manufacturers would not recommend wasting the vaccine or revaccinating recipients.