Storage Best Practices for Frozen Vaccines–Fahrenheit (F)

1 Unpack vaccines immediately

HEP A - VFC

1. Place the vaccines in trays or containers for proper air flow.

2. Put vaccines that are first to expire in front.

3. Keep vaccines in original boxes with lids closed to prevent exposure to light.

4. Separate and label vaccines by type and public (VFC) or private.

2 Thermostat should be at the factory-set or midpoint temperature setting

Frozen Vaccines

Too Cold!

Take Action!

Too Warm!

Take Action!

Within Range Report out-of-range 

temperatures 

immediately!

3 Use vaccine storage best practices

do not

unplug

-58° F 5° F

-70° F -65° F -60° F -50° F -45° F -40° F -35° F 10° F 15° F

Freezer Only

temp range

-58° F to 5° F

don’t block vents

DO

✓ Do make sure the freezer door is closed!

✓ Do use water bottles to help maintain consistent 

temperature.

✓ Do leave 2 to 3 inches between vaccine 

containers and freezer walls.

✓ Do post “Do Not Unplug” signs on freezer and by 

electrical outlet.

DON’T

Don’t use dormitory-style refrigerator/freezer.

Don’t use combo refrigerator/freezer unit.

Don’t put food in freezer.

Don’t store vaccines on shelves in freezer door. 

Distributed by Visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/SandH

or contact your state health department for 

more information.

CS243541-D Revision December 2020
Test Your Knowledge

1 Which of the following units is the best for storing frozen vaccines?

Freezer

A. Full-size 

refrigerator/freezer (1 

outside door/freezer is 

part of refrigerator)

Freezer

B. Full-size 

refrigerator/freezer (2 

outside doors, separate 

compartments)

Freezer

C. Stand-alone 

freezer only unit

Freezer

D. Dormitory-style or 

mini refrigerator (1 

outside door/freezer 

is part of refrigerator)

2 Circle the TRUE statements:

A. It is okay to remove vaccines from the original boxes as long as they are stored in the freezer.

B. Water bottles in the freezer are important to help maintain consistent temperature.

C. You can “eye test” frozen vaccines—if they look frozen, they are okay.

D. Leave 2 to 3 inches between vaccine containers and freezer walls.

3 Circle the vaccines that MUST be stored in the freezer:

A. Varicella vaccine

B. MMR vaccine

C. MMRV vaccine

D. Recombinant zoster vaccine

4 One of the most common reasons that freezers are out of temperature range is:

A. Staff doesn’t shut the freezer door

B. Power outage

C. The freezer thermostat is not working properly

D. The thermometer is broken

5 Frozen vaccines should be stored between _____o F and _____o F.

C—A stand-alone freezer is the best unit for storing frozen vaccines. NO vaccines—refrigerated or frozen—should ever 1.

be stored in a dormitory-style unit (D).

B and D are true statements. All vaccines should stay in their original boxes; proper temperature monitoring is very 2.

important and cannot be done by eye.

Varicella vaccine (A) and MMRV vaccine (C) MUST be stored in the freezer. MMR vaccine (B) can be stored in the 3.

refrigerator or freezer. Recombinant zoster vaccine (D) MUST be stored in the refrigerator.

A—Believe it or not, staff not shutting the freezer door is one of the most common reasons a freezer is out of 4.

temperature range!

o F. 5 o F and 58 Frozen vaccines should be stored between - 5.