The isolation and social distance required to contain the pandemic greatly interfered in the search for immunization services. As a result, there was a fall in vaccine coverage, especially in childhood and old age. Out-of-home home-based vaccination allows all people in a household to be immunized, with no need to travel to the vaccination service.
It is essential to stress that vaccination at home obeys the same requirements as immunizations performed in the vaccination room, especially in relation to correct storage during transport, in the range of 2°C to 8°C.
Below, we highlight some excerpts from the Technical Note issued jointly by the Brazilian Society of Immunizations - SBIm - and ABCVAC, specific about extramural vaccination focused on home:
“RDC 197/2017 that“ Provides for the minimum requirements for the functioning of human vaccination services “, provides for the performance of extramural vaccination and defines it as an activity linked to a licensed vaccination service, which takes place outside the establishment, aimed at to a specific population in a specific environment and authorized by the competent health agencies of the state or municipal health departments.”
(...) "Regarding the professionals involved in the vaccination processes, the same RDC determines that they must be trained periodically, especially with regard to conservation, storage and transport."
(...) “As the vaccines are thermosensitive, the biggest obstacle encountered in vaccination outside the health service is the maintenance of temperature during all stages of the process. Failure to maintain the temperature between + 2 ° C and + 8 ° C compromises the effectiveness of the vaccines and, consequently, the expected result of the vaccination, being strict temperature control essential in all phases of the cold chain, in order to reproduce an environment similar to that of the vaccination room. This implies planning to contemplate the stages of the process, in addition to the availability of quality equipment that guarantees the storage and transport required for maintaining the cold chain.”
(...) “In general, transport is the weakest link in this chain. (...) Portable vaccine-specific chambers can be alternatives for transportation, it is important to know the manufacturer instructions and monitor, in addition to the temperature, the battery charge of the equipment, always connected to the car 12V power source.”
The document can be accessed in full: