A total capacity of 1000 litres is generally found to be a reasonable storage maximum when using multiple separate refrigerators, and for larger capacities, the use of a walk-in cold room is usually justified and preferred. This provides a more secure and efficient installation for the larger amounts of vaccine to be stored, and offers a more manageable alternative to numerous separate refrigerators. A projection of
provincial storage needs over the next 5 years, including the extra space needed for the expected new ‘pentavalent’ vaccine (see section 7 above), shows that most provinces will exceed the 1000 litre threshold within that period, and therefore, a switchto walk-in cold rooms will be the preferred option for replacing the existing cold chain items, instead of investing in more new refrigerators.
Figure 1shows the projected cold chain storage needs by province for 3 different scenarios: