Posted December 1, 20204 yr comment_81289 The Blood Bank has ultralow freezers for the storage of tissue and frozen plasma. At our hospital we have been approached as a possible overflow storage location for the Covid-19 vaccine. Is there a FDA regulatory rule against the storage of human vaccines with blood products? I believe in the past we have stored RhIG (Rhogam) with the RBC inventory, although due to the temperature requirement (2-8C vs 1-6C for blood) we currently have a separate reagent storage refrigerator. The storage of Rhogam with blood has never resulted in a citation from CAP, Joint Commission or our State Department of Health. thanks.
December 1, 20204 yr comment_81291 My logic is that as the FDA categorizes blood products as a drug I don’t see why they could/would have a problem. You may however want to clarify who will have freezer(s) access to stock and issue the vaccine etc.
December 2, 20204 yr comment_81294 There is absolutely no scientific or clinical reason that a vaccine could not be stored with frozen blood components. That doesn't mean you won't get some overly officious inspector who will decide it's a bad idea. But currently there are no regulatory or accreditation issues that I am aware of.
December 5, 20204 yr comment_81304 On 12/1/2020 at 6:19 PM, Ensis01 said: You may however want to clarify who will have freezer(s) access to stock and issue the vaccine etc. This is what I would be concerned about. Our Blood Bank is locked down, so it's not a concern for us. No one but us can get in. I would not want anyone else to have access to our storage devices.
December 8, 20204 yr comment_81310 Of course, all this may be a moot point because at this time, it is highly unlikely that anyone in the US will have an 'overstock' of vaccine. Due to failures and incompetency I don't need to mention, we will be lucky to get a fraction of what we need just to protect our 'front line'.
December 9, 20204 yr comment_81318 9 hours ago, Joanne P. Scannell said: Of course, all this may be a moot point because at this time, it is highly unlikely that anyone in the US will have an 'overstock' of vaccine. Due to failures and incompetency I don't need to mention, we will be lucky to get a fraction of what we need just to protect our 'front line'. While I agree with the outcome you describe. I believe (maybe naively ) that it will be designing, implementing and coordinating this massive logistical challenge, that I struggle to imagine, plus communicating the process to provide and manage expectations that will be the primary problem. The inevitable failures will be perceived as incompetency, deserved or not.
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