Name: Delivering The COVID-19 Vaccine
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From cold storage to a gentle swirl everything needs to be done just right for COVID-19 vaccines to work. Learn about the science behind undertaking one of the largest—and challenging—vaccine distribution efforts in modern history and what goes into successfully handling and administering all these vaccines.This video was produced in collaboration with NOVA and is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Inoculating millions at COVID-19 vaccine sites has been a massive undertaking.

Inoculating millions at COVID-19 vaccine sites has been a massive undertaking.

From cold storage to a gentle swirl everything needs to be done just right for COVID-19 vaccines to work.  Find out why with KPBS in collaboration with NOVA PBS who looked at the science behind undertaking one of the largest - and challenging - vaccine distribution efforts in modern history and what goes into successfully handling and administering all these vaccines?

Delivering The COVID-19 Vaccine

Body & Brain

Delivering The COVID-19 VaccinePublished: September 20, 2021Narrator: Before this COVID-19 vaccine gets injected into your arm, everything has to be done exactly right, -including gently swirling it just so. Otherwise, the vaccine may not work. Here’s why.Jeffrey Goad: Whatever the active ingredient in there is suspended within what's called lipid nanoparticles.Narrator: Basically little fat globules. In the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNtech vaccines, these nanoparticles cushion and protect messenger RNA, or mRNA. This molecule carries the instructions that the body will use to build a defense against COVID-19.Goad: If we shake it, unfortunately, the manufacturer indicates that it may break down that lipid structure.Narrator: That can expose and eventually destroy the mRNA. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine uses DNA that’s encased within an inactivated virus. But too much movement could mean a dose drawn from the vaccine vials won’t carry enough of the mRNA or DNA to help you build sufficient immunity.Goad: It may not get into your cells like it should.Narrator: Any mishaps can reduce the vaccine’s potency. And every dose counts as providers race against new variants to curb the pandemic and achieve “herd immunity.”Goad: We need roughly 75 percent or greater people to be immune.Narrator: Proper handling of the vaccine is just one of the details needed to successfully vaccinate as many people as possible.Lisa Duncan: It's a great art and science of managing that vaccine.Narrator: Each of the three emergency-approved vaccines have different storage and handling requirements, which require close monitoring.Dial Hewlett: The colder the temperature, the more stable they are, and that once we get to higher temperatures, there's less stability.Narrator: The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine needs an ultra-cold freezer and then must thaw in a fridge where it’s good for up to 5 days.The Moderna vaccine doesn’t need such extreme cold and can last in a standard fridge for up to 30 days.The Johnson and Johnson vaccine can last up to three months in the refrigerator.The temperatures need to be carefully monitored to ensure vaccines stay within the range that manufacturers prescribe.Duncan: It's hooked up to our Wi-Fi but If the unit goes out of range, then we're notified immediately.Narrator: The specifics are based on how the manufacturers decided to test their products. Pfizer-BioNtech initially tested its vaccine using extremely low temperatures, but further testing showed it remained viable stored under slightly warmer conditions for a set period of time. And even though the Johnson and Johnson vaccine arrives frozen, its guidelines direct vaccinators to store it in a refrigerator. Once a vial of any of the three vaccines is opened for dosing, though, the clock starts ticking on how long it’ll last, just a few hours.Duncan: You're constantly looking at how much needs to go in the refrigerator, how much do we pull out and put it into the room? How long has it been in the room? How long has it been open since you took out the first dose?Hewlett: It’s almost as though you’re dealing with chocolate. And if you have chocolate, you know that if you get to a certain temperature, it’s going to melt.And so if you encapsulate that chocolate in a coating, let's just say like an M&amp;M, then you can maintain it for a longer period of time.Narrator: Some vaccine coordinators work solely to monitor proper handling of the vials, which like other vaccines, must not be directly exposed to sunlight. But it’s unclear exactly how much sunlight, warmth or movement is too much.Hewlett: We know that sunlight and just in light from rooms can actually interfere with the integrity of the of the product.Goad: There's a lot of things within medicine and pharmacy that don't have exact parameters around them. And so what we do is the best we can to mitigate any, any potential loss.Narrator: Required training for anyone handling the vaccine minimizes that risk. And providers must take prompt action if transport or storage temperatures ever go out of range.Duncan: So immediately we're going to put it in the freezer because we don't want to be responsible for further degradation of that vaccine just in case. And then we would notify the manufacturer and the county that we had gotten a batch that had come that was not good so that they can follow up on that from their end as well.Narrator: But it’s unlikely any major mishandling that would compromise the vaccine would go unnoticed by a provider. And vaccines often have ample supply of the active ingredient that creates the immune response, so any minor slip ups likely would not reduce their effectiveness. But careful handling is necessary to reach herd immunity as quickly as possible.

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Delivering The COVID-19 Vaccine

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