2.4 Supplies/Equipment Needed for Ultra Cold Chain (UCC)

• UCC equipment is costly and not recommended to be installed in every facility.
• Establishing a UCC hub at national and strategically at sub-national level is a cost-effective approach.
• Utilizing available cold-chain or UCC facilities from private sectors with appropriate training and monitoring systems is a practical approach.
• Use of long-term passive containers and thermal shippers to store vaccines and to conduct immunization sessions is favourable at facility level.
• UCC supplies/equipment recommended at the facility level:
• Cryogenic gloves
• Arktek + phase-change material
• Thermo shippers + dry ice
• Dry ice box + dry ice.
• Phase-change materials require special considerations. They are substances  that improve thermal performance when applied to a cold-chain product by transitioning from solid to liquid or vice versa.
  
• There are 2 types of Arktek passive vaccine storage devices.

1.  Arktek passive vaccine storage device: a super-insulated container optimized to safely store vaccines between 0 to +10 ºC for 35 days or more, using only coolant-packs in hot zone conditions.
2.  Arktek + Phase-Change Material: a modified version of the Arktek device that uses phase-change material rather than coolant-packs to maintain a cold environment for up to 6 days.