Vaccine distribution

Your latest info on all things cold chain

FreightWaves’ journalist Matt Blois chats with World Courier’s Alex Guite about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the cold chain and how pharma and logistics companies adapted to distribute vaccines.

Ray Wood, head of global carrier management at World Courier, discusses how the air cargo market has adjusted and maintained relationships with customers.

International transport rules for dangerous goods could have hindered the vaccine rollout by airlines without swift action by the air cargo sector.

Airfreight markets around the world are facing serious capacity constraints. Trade growth is overwhelming the physical ability of carriers to move goods and it’s reflected in transport prices.

The traditional silo model of suppliers using localized logistics providers is no longer working.

The air cargo industry quickly pulled together to deliver critical COVID vaccines and PPE last year. The same type of teamwork can be applied to other social needs, such as the environment and diversity, air cargo leaders say.

On the new FreightWaves show Medically Necessary, host Matt Blois takes you inside the health care supply chain and the work necessary to keep medical supplies moving.

Biden taps Daniel Maffei to head the FMC amid the ongoing port congestion crisis.

Logistics supply chains have delivered. More than 300 million vaccine doses have been distributed and administered.

A. Bailey Wood takes over as head of the Commercial Vehicle Training Alliance from Don Lefeve.

Vaccine distribution is an inherently complex process. The process is further complicated by this specific vaccine’s short shelf life.

At this point, the vaccine has rolled out to nearly 24.8 million Americans and counting. The vaccination story is just getting started for the automotive industry, with Stellantis becoming the first automaker to administer vaccines to its workforce.

Canadian health care logistics provider Andlauer will acquire most of pharmaceutical trucking firm Skelton Truck Lines for over $90 million – a valuation driven up by the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

Emir Pineda, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department’s manager for aviation and trade logistics, explains why Miami International Airport reached a record cargo level last year and how it is a key distribution point for COVID vaccines.

Supply chain experts say a national IT system for vaccine distribution could speed things up.

The U.N. and World Health Organization are working hard to make sure less-developed countries get their fair share as more vaccine supplies become available. Transportation and logistics is a big part of their organizing effort.

Dooner and The Dude talk to Chad Brueck about how CRST is ensuring secure COVID-19 vaccine delivery in this session of FreightWaves’ Health & Pharma Supply Chain Summit.

Get caught up on every session from the FreightWaves Health & Pharma Supply Chain Summit here.

We haven’t heard many airlines recently culling their cabins of seats, but Kenya Airways is now the first to do so with a Boeing 787.

Pharmaceutical companies often get nervous that carelessness by a transportation provider will spoil a shipment of COVID vaccines or other medicines. Airfreight experts say data sharing and teamwork can eliminate most glitches.

The American Trucking Associations and state trucking groups call on the Biden administration to reclassify vaccine status for truck drivers.

The Swiss logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel has extensive pharmaceutical experience and will handle the storage and transportation of COVID-19 vaccines for Moderna around the world.

Russia is shipping its COVID-19 vaccine to several countries, including Argentina.

The United Arab Emirates has its first doses of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine thanks to a free delivery from national airline Emirates.

Canada now has two COVID-19 vaccines in circulation. FedEx Express flew in the first shipment from Europe on Thursday.

Many transport providers besides FedEx and UPS are performing roles in the COVID vaccine distribution. Not everyone is moving vaccines. Find out what Air Transport International is doing.

Coronavirus vaccines require extreme levels of protection from organized crime organizations, nation states and others looking to steal shipments or valuable data. The U.S. government is stepping in with extra help for industry, including escorts by U.S. marshals.

Xwing, not X-Men. When you need to pay the bills, you do what Xwing did: Skip the fancy technology and put a pilot in the plane to ferry COVID vaccines to needy areas.

The flow of vaccines to the American public is slowly picking up pace in week two. A lot of coordination among manufacturers, logistics companies, carriers and the government is required.

Team McKesson is implementing Phase 2 of Operation Warp Speed on Sunday, delivering the first Moderna COVID vaccines across the nation.

The Defense Logistics Agency is the military’s in-house logistics management provider. It has its ducks in a row to receive new coronavirus vaccines.

McKesson is the middleman between Moderna and FedEx and UPS. Distribution is already in motion to deliver the nation’s second vaccine this week.

The airfreight division of Swiss International Air Lines moved a big load of Chinese-made vaccine to Brazil on a passenger flight.

Army Gen. Gus Perna, who is in charge of the COVID vaccine distribution in the U.S., is showing FedEx and UPS some love.

Operation Warp Speed and the delivery of the Pfizer COVID vaccine are clicking on all cylinders, but that doesn’t mean production and distribution are going perfectly.

Delta joins the caravan of airlines moving COVID vaccines. Air Canada gets ready.

The dry ice shortage that many feared would crimp the ability to ship COVID-19 vaccines turned out to be a Y2K event.

Distribution of coronavirus vaccines isn’t limited to FedEx and UPS. Many freight transportation and logistics companies are already playing a large role in the global immunization campaign.

Vaccine distribution won’t delay deliveries of your Honey Baked Ham and toilet paper, says CNBC’s Lori Ann LaRocco.

Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine could begin rolling out next week in much the same pattern as the Pfizer vaccine this week, but there are some operational differences.

The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is finally a reality, but it’s a carefully orchestrated process among the federal government, the manufacturer, a major health care distributor and FedEx and UPS.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, could play an active role in the U.S. and worldwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccine because it is the closest commercial airport to Pfizer Inc.’s (NYSE: PFE) Kalamazoo manufacturing plant. On Sunday, an Airbus A300 cargo jet operated by FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX) left Ford airport for […]

FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX)  and UPS (NYSE: UPS) trucks departed Pfizer Inc.’s (NYSE: PFE) sprawling manufacturing facility in Portage, Michigan, on Sunday morning loaded with COVID-19 vaccines packed in dry ice to maintain them at ultra-cold temperatures. The express delivery companies have roughly divided the nation in two, with FedEx supplying the western states and […]

Domestic express carriers spring into action, moving the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare facilities.

Anticipation for the first COVID vaccine is about to be realized and with it a huge ground and air operation to immunize the world. ABI Research quantifies some of the transportation requirements.

LATAM Airlines is offering to move domestic shipments of vaccines for free.

Nobody likes a line cutter, but when it comes to the rush delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, the Federal Aviation Administration is making an exception.

The more dry ice used to cool a pharmaceutical shipment, the less product that can be carried on a plane. That’s because dry ice is poisonous when it turns to gas. The FAA issued guidelines to help airlines manage the dry ice risk.

DHL will be the first to deliver COVID-19 vaccines in Germany. Integrated logistics companies like DHL, FedEx and UPS have an advantage with their closed networks and sophisticated delivery methods for keeping vaccines at the correct temperature.

If there were a virus bloom in a given area, states could quickly decide to move vaccine from one ZIP code to another.

Bill Freidel of AIT Worldwide Logistics expects 2021 to be another challenging year for freight as the COVID-19 vaccine is prepped for release. He encourages logistics companies to invest in cold-chain technologies and continue to meet customer expectations.

The public-private partnership distributing the COVID vaccines is in the starting blocks. Planning is almost done. Now it’s time to execute the race once the FDA says the drugs are safe for public use.

UPS Healthcare is increasing its capability to provide dry ice for COVID vaccine shipments while Swiss firm SkyCell is going to market with a shipping container it says is more efficient and safer because it uses less dry ice.

Operation Warp Speed is getting close to pushing out the initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year, but plans are still being refined for one of the most consequential logistics projects in modern history.

Logistics companies, apart from the big integrators, may feel like they’re in an information black hole when it comes to preparation for the COVID-19 vaccine. They don’t have clear information from drugmakers and have to collaborate with multiple partners that may be at different states of readiness.

The Canadian government prequalified FedEx Canada, UPS Health Care, McKesson and Kuehne + Nagel to bid on a contract to distribute millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Pfizer is laying the logistics groundwork for what is considered the largest-ever vaccine distribution campaign.

Pfizer says it would distribute its COVID-19 vaccines directly to administration sites in Canada, echoing its approach in the United States.

Dooner and The Dude talk risk management with Travelers and learn how Pfizer hopes to change the world with its COVID vaccine

Major companies in the transportation and logistics world have taken interest in Canada’s massive undertaking to distribute millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Pfizer and Moderna have developed vaccines that need to be deep frozen. Most freight distribution companies and medical facilities don’t have super-cold freezers, so governments and industry are mobilizing resources until less sensitive vaccines come along that they are equipped to handle.

The Defense Department, the biggest logistics organization in the world, is putting its expertise to work developing a strategic plan for efficiently delivering a COVID vaccine to every corner of the country.

Air freight demand for COVID-19 vaccines will be massive, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

COVID vaccines will be the highest priority for air cargo companies, and that means other types of shipments could sit in warehouses waiting to catch a flight if space is short.

The Canadian government is seeking logistics providers to distribute millions of doses COVID-19 vaccines. The task won’t be an easy one.

The challenges of delivering a coronavirus vaccine to 8 billion people are immense, but over time more logistics companies will be able to participate as shipping tolerances ease.

Airline industry experts are just guesstimating when they say 8,000 big freighter planes will be needed to rush COVID vaccines to the public. Until we know more about the shipping requirements and packaging logistics, folks will still be in the dark.

How do you prepare for the Super Bowl if you don’t know who your opponent is? That’s how airlines and freight managers feel about preparations for transporting a COVID-19 vaccine when one is approved because manufacturers aren’t freely sharing shipping details.

More airlines and logistics firms are fortifying their pharmaceutical handling capabilities and credentials ahead of an expected COVID-19 vaccine release. Several companies this week announced new product offerings, investments or logistics arrangements aimed at vaccine manufacturers. Industry officials have warned that there isn’t enough cold-chain infrastructure worldwide to support an immediate delivery schedule, and urged […]

President Donald Trump is trying to fast-track a COVID-19 vaccine and appears ready to mobilize military assets. A possible scenario involves an airlift with Air Force cargo jets, which offer two advantages: speed and cold storage.

From trucking, security and data exchange to customs and civil aviation permissions, the Amsterdam airport is covering all the bases for rushing out approved coronavirus vaccines.

The U.S. government is coordinating with the private sector how to quickly deliver a COVID-19 vaccine, but under one scenario officials are contemplating the military could deploy giant cargo planes to carry refrigerated trucks full of vaccines.

Rosenthal predicts Internet-based distribution to jump as high as 50%.