By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Barton County Health Department operates two refrigerators to store their vaccines. Vaccines must be stored in an environment with a temperature between three and five degrees Celsius. If the temperature falls outside of that range, the vaccines have to be thrown away.
One refrigerator broke recently but was repaired for the department.
With the hopeful possibility that COVID-19
vaccines will come in, Barton County felt it prudent to have another refrigerator
on hand to store vaccines. Barton County Commissioner Jennifer Schartz says the
extra fridge seems like a good investment.
"In the past, we have been told that one of the refrigerators can hold up to $200,000 worth of vaccines and that is something you certainly don't want going down," said Schartz. "I hope we get to fill it with COVID vaccines."
At this time with a pandemic, these scientific refrigerators are not easy to
come by. Barton County made the purchase of the fridge which was ratified by
the Commissioners. County Administrator Phil Hathcock says the new machine is
44.9 cubic feet.
"Without tearing out the exterior wall of the Health Department, this is the largest one we can get," said Hathcock.
The upright, hinged, two-locking glass door unit from Migali cost $6,236.90.