UPS and FedEx have launched deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines across the USA after Pfizer and BioNTech gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on Friday for emergency use of their mRNA vaccine.
After months of detailed planning, the two transport giants immediately swung into operation over the weekend and started to transport the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines by plane and truck from manufacturing plants via their air and ground hubs to 636 dosing centres across the country. Distribution of about 2.9 million doses is expected to be completed by Wednesday (December 16).
The two companies are sharing distribution of the vaccine in the USA. UPS will reportedly handle distribution for the eastern half of the country while FedEx will be responsible for western states.
Pfizer is producing the COVID-19 vaccine (which needs to be stored and transported at -70°C) at three of its U.S. manufacturing sites: Saint Louis (Missouri), Andover (Massachusetts) and Kalamazoo (Michigan). Its site in Pleasant Prairie (Wisconsin) and Puurs (Belgium) are also being used.
The rapid operational launch follows the companies’ detailed public presentations at a White House summit and to a US Senate committee last week to outline their cold chain logistics capabilities and readiness to handle the gigantic and historic challenge of distributing life-saving COVID-19 vaccines within the USA and internationally.
“Moment of truth for UPS”
UPS said it would move the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine within the first days to states designated by Pfizer, Inc. based on orders received by Operation Warp Speed and CDC officials (who are coordinating the vaccine’s distribution).
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines will originate from storage sites in Michigan and Wisconsin, it explained. The vaccines will be transported to UPS Worldport facilities in Louisville, where they will be expedited Next Day Air to select destinations, including hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities, to inoculate healthcare workers.
CEO Carol Tomé said: “Vaccine distribution is a key part of moving our world forward by delivering what matters. We have dedicated and hardworking people around the world who have been trained to store, handle, transport and deliver vaccines. We’re pleased to support our healthcare partners with smart, efficient logistics for these vaccines that will protect communities and save lives.”
Wes Wheeler, president of UPS Healthcare, added: “This is the moment of truth we’ve been waiting for at UPS. We have spent months strategizing with Operation Warp Speed officials and our healthcare customers on efficient vaccine logistics, and the time has arrived to put the plan into action.”
“Among most important work in FedEx’s history”
For its part, FedEx Express said on Friday that “operations are in motion” to transport its first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines using its FedEx Priority Overnight® service supported by FedEx Priority Alert® advanced monitoring.
“This is among the most important work in the history of our company, and we’re honored to be a part of the effort to help end this pandemic,” said Raj Subramaniam, president and chief operating officer, FedEx Corp. “I am immensely proud of our dedicated team members who continue to go above and beyond to help ensure the safe movement of these critical COVID-19 vaccines, especially during our busiest holiday shipping season to date. This is who we are and what we do at FedEx.”
Don Colleran, president and chief executive officer, FedEx Express, added: “We are one of the few companies with the global network and capabilities to keep critical supply chains moving during this unprecedented time. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, FedEx has delivered more than 55 kilotons of personal protective equipment, including more than two billion face masks, and more than 9,600 humanitarian aid shipments around the globe.”
“Time-definite express transportation of critical shipments is exactly what our FedEx Express network was built to do when it launched in 1973,” said Richard W. Smith, regional president of the Americas and executive vice president of global support, FedEx Express. “Almost five decades later, we are proving true to our founding mission by delivering critical COVID-19 vaccines.”
Pfizer outlines vaccine distribution plans
Mike McDermott, President, Pfizer Global Supply, praised both companies’ logistics support. “We know that agile, world-class logistics is critical to get our products where they are needed, and we’re happy to partner with UPS in this historic effort to save lives and create healthier communities right now and well into the future.” He continued: “Outstanding logistics is critical to get our products to those who need them across the country, and we’re happy to partner with FedEx in this historic effort to save lives and put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Pfizer and BioNTech stressed in a joint statement: “Based on their collective experience, the companies believe in their capability to distribute the vaccine globally upon approval or authorization.” Based on current projections, their combined manufacturing network has the potential to supply globally up to 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021 (subject to manufacturing capacity and regulatory approval or authorization).
Outlining its distribution planning, the US drugs giant stressed that it has “vast experience and expertise” in cold-chain shipping and has an established infrastructure to supply the vaccine worldwide, including distribution hubs that can store vaccine doses for up to six months. Pfizer’s distribution is built on a flexible just-in-time system that can ship the frozen vials quickly to designated points of vaccination at the time of need, minimizing the need for long term storage.
“Vaccination in a pandemic situation is expected to be rapid, and we do not expect that the product will need to be stored at any location for more than 30 days,” it stated.
To assure product quality, the companies (Pfizer and BioNTech) have developed specially designed, temperature-controlled shippers for the vaccine, which can maintain recommended storage conditions (-70°C ±10°C) for extended periods of time with dry ice. The shipper can maintain temperature for 10 days unopened which allows for transportation to markets globally.
Once open, a vaccination center may use the specially designed shippers as a temporary storage solution to maintain the recommended storage conditions (-70°C ±10°C) up to 30 days with re-icing every five days in accordance with the handling instructions. Each shipper contains a GPS-enabled thermal sensor to track the location and temperature of each vaccine shipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once thawed, the vaccine vial can be stored safely for up to five days at refrigerated (2-8°C) conditions.
