Healthcare · Guide

Storing vaccines in medical practices: fridge, temperature and records.

By Frigo · Updated: October 2026

Vaccines are sensitive to heat, light and frost. This guide shows medical practices, vaccination centres and care homes what the health authorities recommend on the fridge, placement, checks and records, and what to do when the cold chain has been interrupted. Pick your country and you see only what the bodies there say.

In short

What counts: the storage condition in the summary of product characteristics (SmPC) of each vaccine. For most vaccines in a practice this is the fridge range of 2 to 8 °C.
Avoid freezing: do not keep vaccines in the fridge door or against the back or inner wall.
Check and record: with a min-max thermometer or data logger, and document the results.
Germany: STIKO recommends a separate fridge, a target of about 5 °C and a check at least once a day, ideally morning and evening.
Austria: the vaccination plan recommends min-max thermometers, regular checks and documenting the temperature.
Switzerland: the FOPH requires transport, storage and use according to the manufacturer's information. Cantons check the fridge and the temperature records during inspections.
After a deviation: set the vaccines aside, do not use them and clarify with the SmPC, the manufacturer or your pharmacy. Do not decide on a hunch.

Who this guide is for

GP, paediatric and specialist practices that keep vaccines in stock
Vaccination centres, occupational health services and travel medicine
Residential and nursing homes that keep vaccines chilled until use

For pharmacies and their own regulations, see the guide to medicine fridge monitoring. It covers the pharmacy operating regulations and cantonal pharmacy inspections, which are not repeated here.

Which temperature applies?

The manufacturer sets the storage condition, which is stated in the SmPC and on the pack. You should follow it, as all three countries stress. For the usual vaccines in a practice this is the range of 2 to 8 °C. Some vaccines have different requirements. These are in the respective SmPC and are not the subject of this guide.

Heat is not the only danger. According to the STIKO recommendations 2026, vaccines must also be protected from frost. Vaccines stored too warm may be less effective or no longer effective at all, frozen ones may become non-sterile or less well tolerated. According to STIKO, live vaccines are particularly sensitive and need an unbroken cold chain.

Which fridge is suitable

The sources agree on the direction but not on the detail:

Source	Statement on the appliance
STIKO (Germany)	Purpose-built fridges are particularly suitable. Household fridges without an ice compartment can be used. The fridge should be used only for vaccines and other medicines.
KV Bavaria (Germany)	The requirements for medicine fridges are described in DIN 13277. According to it, a special appliance is not mandatory. No food together with medicines or vaccines.
Canton of Basel-Landschaft (Switzerland)	When buying new, the fridge should be qualified as a pharmaceutical fridge and comply with DIN 13277. Otherwise qualification is needed, i.e. documented proof of the spots where 2 to 8 °C is maintained.
Vaccination plan (Austria)	No requirement on the type of appliance. It recommends a min-max thermometer, regular checks and documentation.

The sources reviewed do not agree on whether DIN 13277 is binding for your practice. Clarify this case by case with your Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, your medical chamber or the cantonal pharmacist's office.

Where the vaccines go in the fridge

Not in the door. STIKO, KV Bavaria and the Austrian vaccination plan point this out. The temperature in the door is less constant.
Not against the back or inner wall. KV Bavaria names the risk of freezing to the wall, STIKO writes that vaccines should not touch the inner wall.
In the original packaging. STIKO and the FOPH recommend this. Both also mention protection from light.
Thermometer in the middle. This is what STIKO and KV Bavaria say.
Older stock first. STIKO names the “first in, first out” principle.

Checks and records

All three countries expect the temperature to be measured and recorded. How often differs:

Germany: STIKO recommends checking the storage temperature ideally morning and evening, but at least once a day, and documenting the results daily. A digital min-max thermometer or a data logger is suitable; alcohol, mercury, bimetal and infrared thermometers, among others, are not. KV Bavaria names a regular check on working days, for example every morning.
Austria: fridges in medical practices should be fitted with min-max thermometers, checked regularly and the temperature documented. The vaccination plan does not set a fixed interval.
Switzerland: the FOPH recommends entering the batch number and expiry date in a log. The leaflet of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft requires storage, temperature deviations and the measures taken to be documented, using calibrated thermometers or probes. It does not set a fixed reading interval.

A min-max thermometer shows that a value was exceeded, but not when or for how long. To assess a deviation, that is often exactly the question that matters.

Do you know how cold your vaccine fridge was over the weekend?

Get your setup →

When the cold chain was interrupted

Whether a vaccine may still be used after a deviation depends on the product, the temperature and the duration. You cannot decide that from the thermometer alone. As guidance, not as a regulation:

Set aside and label. Do not use the affected vaccines until the question is resolved, and keep them chilled.
Record what happened. Start, end, highest or lowest temperature and which batches are affected.
Read the SmPC and ask. Contact the manufacturer or your pharmacy. For products that look abnormal on inspection, the FOPH names contacting the manufacturer and Swissmedic.
Decide and document. The responsible physician decides on that basis. Record the decision and the reasons.

The sources differ in strictness. STIKO writes that vaccines that were accidentally stored incorrectly or frozen must be discarded. The FOPH refers in general to the manufacturer's information. If you are unsure whether a deviation counts as incorrect storage, clarify this with the manufacturer before vaccinating.

In Germany, KV Bavaria points out that replacements for vaccines that became unusable because the cooling failed cannot be prescribed again at the expense of statutory health insurance. It recommends fridge liability insurance. Ask your own KV how this is handled there.

Power cuts

How long a fridge stays in range without power depends on the appliance. The sources reviewed give no general figure. KV Bavaria lists an acoustic and visual warning for temperature deviations and power failure among the features of a medicine fridge under DIN 13277. However, only someone on site hears that warning.

Treat a power cut like any other deviation: note the time, check the values once power returns and, if the range was left, proceed as described above. Decide in advance who is notified at night and at weekends and where the vaccines can be taken during a longer outage.

Germany: STIKO and the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians

What the bodies say

STIKO at the RKI: the recommendations 2026 (Epidemiologisches Bulletin 4/2026, chapter on vaccination management) describe storage, target value, placement, checks and records as above. These are recommendations.
KV Bavaria: the information sheet “Refrigerators for medicines” of 25 July 2024 sets out requirements for medicine fridges and advice on storage and checks. Other KVs may have their own guidance.
SmPC: according to KV Bavaria, medicines that require refrigeration, such as vaccines, are to be stored in line with the requirements in the respective SmPC.

Austria: Austrian vaccination plan

What the bodies say

Impfplan Österreich 2026/2027: the temperature stated in the SmPC for transport and storage must be strictly observed.
Transport: in cool bags, frozen ice packs should not lie directly against the vaccine packaging, as the vaccine can otherwise freeze.
Practice: min-max thermometer, regular checks, documentation of the temperature and storage at a spot with a constant temperature, not in the door and not touching the wall.

The vaccination plan is a recommendation of the Ministry of Health. Clarify questions on binding requirements with your medical chamber or the competent authority.

Switzerland: FOPH and the cantons

What the bodies say

FOPH: according to the “General recommendations on vaccinations”, all products are to be transported, stored and used according to the manufacturer's information. New deliveries are to be stored cool immediately. The document dates from 2003 and, according to the FOPH, is being revised.
Cantons: the cantons check the storage of medicines during inspections. As an example, the leaflet of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft (version 01, March 2024) sets out requirements for qualification, calibration and documentation. Other cantons have their own requirements.

Clarify with the cantonal pharmacist's office whether and how your canton applies these requirements to medical practices and care homes.

Where a manual check leaves gaps

Nights and weekends. The morning reading does not tell you what happened in between.
Too cold. A wrongly set thermostat or stock against the back wall is noticed only once a vaccine has already frozen.
Door not fully closed. After a delivery has been put away, the temperature rises without anyone noticing.
No history. Without start and duration, the manufacturer can hardly assess a deviation.

What a sensor adds

A sensor measures around the clock, alerts the people you name via app and email as soon as the temperature leaves your upper or lower limit, and writes every deviation with start, end and duration to a continuous, time-stamped record. Frigo automatically produces a monthly PDF report per sensor. Where useful, a door contact can also be used. If a sensor or the connectivity unit stops sending data, Frigo alerts the named people.

Important: Frigo measures the air at the sensor's location, not the temperature inside the vaccine. It does not cool anything and does not interfere with the fridge. It supports checks and documentation, but it is not a calibration or qualification of the fridge and replaces neither the SmPC nor the assessment by the responsible person or the manufacturer.

If power fails, the connectivity unit keeps running on its built-in battery for about four hours. During that time Frigo keeps measuring and alerts you when the temperature leaves your limit, as long as the mobile network is available. Once the battery is empty, Frigo reports that the connectivity unit has stopped sending data. The sensors do not store readings, so there is no data for that period. New readings arrive once the connectivity unit has power again.

How the system is built is explained under How does Frigo work?.

Four things to set per appliance

the target range according to the SmPC, usually 2 to 8 °C
the upper and lower limit at which an alert is sent
who is notified, including at night, at weekends and during holidays
who assesses a deviation, contacts the manufacturer and documents it

Frequently asked questions

At what temperature are vaccines stored?

The SmPC of each vaccine is what counts. For the usual vaccines in a practice this is the range of 2 to 8 °C. STIKO recommends aiming for about 5 °C so that small fluctuations do not take the fridge out of range.

May I use a household fridge?

The sources differ. STIKO considers purpose-built fridges particularly suitable and household fridges without an ice compartment usable. KV Bavaria refers to DIN 13277, under which a special appliance is not mandatory. The Canton of Basel-Landschaft requires a qualified pharmaceutical fridge under DIN 13277 for new purchases. Clarify this with your competent body.

Where do vaccines go in the fridge?

Not in the door and not against the back or inner wall, because the temperature fluctuates there or the stock can freeze. Ideally in the original packaging, with the thermometer in the middle of the fridge.

How often do I have to check the temperature?

In Germany, STIKO recommends checking ideally morning and evening, but at least once a day, and documenting daily. The Austrian vaccination plan speaks of regular checks and documentation. In Switzerland, the cantons set the requirements.

What do I do if the cold chain was interrupted?

Set the affected vaccines aside, label them and do not use them. Record start, duration and temperature and clarify with the SmPC, the manufacturer or your pharmacy whether the vaccine may still be used. STIKO writes that incorrectly stored or frozen vaccines must be discarded.

Does Frigo still alert during a power cut?

For a limited time. The connectivity unit keeps running on its built-in battery for about four hours and alerts you during that time when the temperature leaves your limit, as long as the mobile network is available. Once the battery is empty, Frigo reports that the connectivity unit has stopped sending data. The sensors do not store readings, so there is no data for that period. New readings arrive once the connectivity unit has power again.

Sources

Your vaccine fridge in view

See a deviation, including at night and at weekends, and have the history ready when you clarify it with the manufacturer.

To pharmacy & healthcare →

This article is guidance, not legal advice and not medical advice. What counts are the applicable regulations, the requirements of the competent authority and the manufacturer's SmPC. This article does not decide whether a vaccine may be used after a deviation. Frigo measures the air at the sensor's location, does not cool anything and replaces neither the qualification of the fridge nor the assessment by the responsible person. Alerts require a working connection. During a power cut the connectivity unit keeps running on its built-in battery for about four hours, after that Frigo reports that the connectivity unit has stopped sending data. Sources as of: October 2026.