COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

It was a week of some much needed good news on the COVID-19 front when Pfizer announced very promising initial findings of their COVID-19 vaccine in early trials. As one of several experimental COVID-19 vaccines approaching late-stage testing, these manufacturers along with world governments have begun working diligently with technology partners, carriers and others involved in the logistics of distributing a potential vaccine to populations around the globe to assemble the necessary processes, procedures and instruments to safely and effectively move and disseminate the eventual inoculations.

In addition to some of the early consideration for shippers, manufacturers and other industry professionals relating to the scale, distribution and shipping requirements of a potential vaccine, DHL and other carriers have started making adjustments to prepare. They’re adding cargo service routes, increasing flight schedules to provide crucial transport infrastructure and taking other steps to prepare in anticipation of the potential global delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine.

On top of having the transport infrastructure in place, many carriers and pharmaceutical companies have been shoring up equipment and technology that will meet the complex set of protective measures required for maintaining the efficacy of a vaccine during transport, including precise refrigeration and temperature settings. According to The New York Times, many of the vaccines under development will need to be kept at temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius (minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit).

Managing global distribution strategies for such a critical product on such a scale creates considerable operational challenges. That’s why many pharma companies and global carriers will to transportation management technology providers to help enhance their preparations to transport the highly temperature-sensitive COVID-19 doses. It will be near Marshall Plan level logistics planning but a lot is at stake and global logistics leaders like JUSDA are helping in everyway they can.