Cargo giants FedEx and UPS have begun shipping the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines across the United States.
Right after Food and Drug Administration(FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, FedEx jumped into action with vaccine transportation with the help of its overnight priority delivery service combined with advanced monitoring for the temperature-controlled vaccines.
“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. 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.”, said Raj Subramaniam, President and Chief Operating Officer, FedEx.
UPS has also started the transportation of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine will originate from storage sites in Michigan and Wisconsin. From there, UPS will transport the vaccines via expedited shipping through its Louisville Worldport facility to select destinations.
“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.”, said Carol Tomé, CEO, UPS.
The Pfizer vaccine has to be kept at extremely cold temperature, so both the airlines worked with Pfizer to create distribution guidelines to ensure vaccine’s safe delivery.
The 1st vaccination shipments will start to arrive next week in the United States as the country gears up for a massive vaccination programme.