Report a cold chain incident

Any storage outside the recommended range of + 2°C to 8°C, even minor deviations between 1.5°C to 2.0°C and 8.0°C to 8.5°C is considered a cold chain incident and must be reported immediately to Southeast Public Health.

Maintaining proper cold chain conditions is essential to keeping vaccines safe and effective. Vaccines are highly sensitive to temperature changes and light exposure, and even brief deviations from the recommended 2°C to 8°C range can reduce their potency, a loss that is cumulative, permanent, and irreversible. Frozen or damaged vaccines may not show any visible changes.

Because of these risks, all temperature excursions must be reported for assessment and vaccine products must be quarantined until approved for use.

If the fridge has returned to the recommended temperature range at the time the incident is discovered:

• Quarantine all affected vaccines separately until Southeast Public Health confirms viability results.
• Report the incident using your region’s current reporting process as listed below.

If the fridge remains out of range at the time of discovery:

• Prepare to implement your contingency plan so that your vaccines can be moved to an alternate approved vaccine fridge.
• Document the time the vaccines are removed from the affected fridge as well as the current, maximum and minimum readings at the time the vaccines are removed.
• Once your vaccines are in your cooler and prepared for transport, report the incident using your region’s current reporting process as listed below.

• Contact 613-966-5500 or 1-800-676-2803, extension 222

• Contact 613-549-1232 or 1-800-267-7875, extension 0

• Contact 1-800-660-5853 use voice recognition phrase “Cold Chain”
• Complete the electronic cold chain incident exposure reporting form for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Counties