vaccine transportation

US offers vaccine makers supply chain support as delivery tempo increases

Split screen: Vial of COVID vaccine on left, FedEx truck on right. FedEx is helping to deliver vaccines.

U.S. officials say they are working with pharmaceutical companies to increase manufacturing capacity and production of COVID vaccines as the pace of order fulfillment to states picks up.

Another 886 hospitals and other administration sites are scheduled to receive their first shipments of the lifesaving drug Thursday, with long-term care facilities being added to the distribution list the next two days, Operation Warp Speed officials said during a press conference Wednesday.

FedEx Express (NYSE: F...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-offers-vaccine-makers-supply-chain-support-as-delivery-tempo-increases

Delta Air Lines moves Pfizer vaccine on passenger flights (with video)

Temperature-controlled airfreight containers on carts being pulled to Delta plane for loading on sunny day. View of aircraft from below wing and towards back half of airplane.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) said it has delivered two shipments of Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, joining American Airlines (NASDQ: AAL) and United Airlines in supporting distribution of the initial wave of doses to the American public.

Delta said it transported the shipments from Detroit to Atlanta and San Francisco on regularly scheduled passenger flights. The airline declined to provide further details.

The shipment likely was a pass through from FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX) or UPS (NYSE: UPS),...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/delta-air-lines-moves-pfizer-vaccine-on-passenger-flights-with-video

No dry ice shortage, FedEx and UPS say

A FedEx employee packs a box with dry ice.

Concerns that there would be a shortage of dry ice to support new coronavirus vaccines that require storage at ultra-cold temperatures have receded in recent weeks, logistics executives involved in pharmaceutical supply chains say.

Experts as recently as last month said there already is a shortage of dry ice  — a solid form of carbon dioxide — to meet global demand for vaccine protection as well as increased food shipments, compounded by inadequate amounts of liquid CO2 because refiners are...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/no-dry-ice-shortage-fedex-and-ups-say

Airlines, logistics companies ramp up global vaccine deliveries

A ground crew pulls out a pallets from a big air shipping container.

The race to distribute the first COVID-19 vaccines is picking up pace around the world as the massive shipping campaign continues for a third day in the U.S.

Express carriers FedEx (NYSE: FDX) and UPS (NYSE: UPS) are making deliveries of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine to 425 medical centers and other drop locations Tuesday following Friday’s emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. 

On Tuesday, United Airlines officially confirmed widespread reports that it was the first commercial...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/airlines-logistics-companies-ramp-up-global-vaccine-deliveries

More than 3,000 sites to receive Moderna COVID vaccine

Split screen of FedEx and UPS semi-trailer truck.

Moderna Inc.’s (NASDQ: MRNA) COVID-19 vaccine could be shipped as early as Sunday, but to five times as many distribution points as Pfizer Inc.’s (NYSE: PFE) product is heading to in its initial wave, according to federal officials.

But maintaining adequate safety stock is a key consideration in both cases.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is expected Thursday to recommend emergency use authorization for Moderna’s vaccine after clinical trials showed it to be 95% effective. If...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-than-3000-sites-to-receive-moderna-covid-vaccine

Contingency planning guides Pfizer vaccine distribution flow

Officials touring a UPS warehouse with special freezers for storing drugs.

With lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines finally en route to state administration sites, the guiding principles for officials in charge of managing the supply chain are adaptability and maintaining a consistent flow of doses to health care facilities.  

Army Gen. Gus Perna, the chief operating officer for the Operation Warp Speed partnership between government and industry, said Saturday that Defense Department logisticians held back 500,000 doses so they can adjust deliveries for potential...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/contingency-planning-guides-pfizer-vaccine-distribution-flow

Michigan airports support airlift of Pfizer vaccine (with video)

White FedEx cargo aircraft loaded with coronavirus vaccine in Michigan.

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 Kalamazoo manufacturing plant.

On Sunday, an Airbus A300 cargo jet operated by FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX) left Ford airport for the 90- minute flight to FedEx’s global air hub in Memphis, Tennessee, carrying the first air shipment of the life-saving vaccine. FedEx has a facility at the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/michigan-airports-support-airlift-of-pfizer-vaccine-with-video

FedEX, UPS trucks depart with first Pfizer COVID vaccines

White FedEx truck driving on highway, headed towards us with Operation Warp Speed banner on side of photo for vaccine distribution effort.

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 UPS those in the east, based on plans developed in coordination with the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed.

State-designated...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fedex-ups-trucks-depart-with-first-pfizer-covid-vaccines

FDA Watch: Trucks poised to roll with Pfizer vaccine shipments

Image of vials on the left and a truck and vessel on the right to represent COVID vaccine distribution.

FedEx (NYSE: FDX) and UPS (NYSE: UPS) trucks could roll out of Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) Kalamazoo, Michigan, pharmaceutical plant by this weekend, carrying the first 3.2 million-dose batch of COVID-19 vaccines to hospitals and other health care facilities, and to airports for longer trips.

The Washington Post is reporting that the Food and Drug Administration, under pressure from the White House, will issue an emergency use authorization Friday night, kicking off the biggest logistics effort in...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fda-watch-trucks-poised-to-roll-with-pfizer-vaccine-shipments

FAA issues dry ice alert to airlines carrying vaccines

A big cargo plane with door open to load cargo. Photo from side, under wing on a sunny day.

Dry ice is a hot commodity. It is a primary way COVID-19 vaccines will be preserved during transport from the manufacturer to administration sites and for storage in some locations.

But too much of a good thing can be hazardous in a confined space. 

On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration cautioned commercial aircraft operators to pay close attention to the risk of carrying too much dry ice in the cargo hold. 

“Operators may plan to carry dry ice quantities larger than quantities they...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/faa-issues-dry-ice-alert-to-airlines-carrying-vaccine

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