Vaccine Distribution

Introduction

Vaccines save millions of lives every year. Immunization has proved its immense value in preventing such diseases as measles, polio, diphtheria and many more. Recent developments show that its significance will only continue to rise with the COVID-19 pandemic clearly indicating how fragile our world is. Vaccines are vital for getting back to regular life and effective logistics solutions are needed to make sure they are delivered in proper quality.

Challenge

Transporting vaccines safely and rapidly is as important as the development and manufacturing processes. The doses can only serve their purpose if they are delivered undamaged. Based on World Health Organization estimations, approximately half of the vaccines distributed around the world, unfortunately, go to waste. What makes them such sensitive cargo?

First and foremost, it is the temperature at that vaccines must be stored at. It can range from 2-8°C up to ultracold -80°C depending on a specific drug and short or long-term storage. If temperature controls fail, vaccines spoil meaning that all efforts to deliver them to the needed are in vain. When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, no similar scenarios can be allowed as too much is at stake with entire countries being under lockdowns and experiencing many other restrictions.

Managing hundreds of millions of doses in transit is another tremendous challenge. Coronavirus has brought the world to an unprecedented situation. Vaccines are equally in demand across the globe at the very exact time. The amounts are enormous, thus, careful planning plus robust monitoring capabilities are required to ensure effective logistics.

In addition to the sheer volume that has to be shipped, supply chains are further aggravated by the urgency and the need for precision in distribution. Not only the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine itself, delivering many immunization-related equipment and medical supplies is actually a matter of life and death. Without delay and right there where it is needed – this is the challenge that logistics, delivery services and pharmaceutical companies face alike.

No place on Earth is immune to viruses, which means that doses to fight various diseases are needed by people in very diverse places, including remote and hard-to-reach locations. Some of them might not have proper road infrastructure or modern means of transportation. All this raises the risk that precious cargo might not safely reach its final destination, not excluding the danger of thefts either. Keeping the track of the whole transportation process – from the manufacturer to last-mile delivery – is essential.