Cold Chain Protocol - Vaccines and Biologics
3. Management and Accountability
Relevant Reference Materials:
3.1. Accountability of Vaccines and Biologics
One of the most important steps in the management of vaccines and biologics is accountability for all the publicly-funded products ordered and received from Manitoba Health.
- Every dose administered should be entered into the Manitoba Immunization Monitoring System (MIMS) to be applied to the patient's immunization record by:
- Physician billing (doses automatically entered into MIMS monthly), or
- Sending completed Resource 7: Immunization Input Form for Health Care Providers or other data entry forms as deemed appropriate to a MIMS Update site for manual data entry (Contact your local public health office to find out where the nearest update site is).
- Mark the date of first withdrawal on Multi-Dose Vials (MDV).
Note: All unused (still in cold chain) and wasted doses must also be accounted for.
3.2. Inventory Management
Designated personnel should be responsible for:
- Monthly physical inventories
- Regular stock rotations to ensure that products with the soonest expiration dates are used first and kept in front of same product with longer expiry dates.
- Using product before it expires.
- Ensuring that no more than one month’s supply of stock is on hand to reduce wastage.
- Separating Manitoba Health publicly-funded product from privately purchased product.
- Referring to the product monographs for how long MDV are viable after first puncture.
3.3. Expired or Unusable Products
Expired product can be removed from the refrigerator and stored in a container marked “Expired – Do Not Use”.
Expired or unusable products previously received by Manitoba Health can be returned to the Provincial Vaccine Warehouse for potential cost recovery or destruction. To find out more:
- Contact the Provincial Vaccine Warehouse for return instructions at: 204-948-1333 Toll-Free: 855-683-3306
Communicable Disease
Control (CDC) Health Links – Info Santé |
