Preparations for the production and transport of a COVID-19 vaccine are now in full swing. To distribute a vaccine worldwide, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) thinks a capacity of about 8,000 Boeing 747s or equivalent is needed. A big job, for which preparations are now being made. IATA is working with airlines, airports, global health authorities and pharmaceutical companies on a global airlift plan.

The preparations go even further than just transporting the vaccine itself. Other medical devices also need to be in the right place at the right time. Consider, for example, capsules for additional medicines, injection needles, disinfection, gloves, mouth caps, guards and other (personal) protective materials.

Worldwide transport of great importance

Air freight has served as a global lifeline for the past several months, transporting personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical items around the world. Various organizations expect transport to certain parts of the world to remain of crucial importance (think of some parts of Southeast Asia, for example). These regions probably have insufficient capacity to produce vaccines. In addition, IATA states that spreading a vaccine across Africa is “impossible” at the moment. This is due to a lack of loading capacity, the size of the region and the complexity of border crossings. IATA has urged governments to plan carefully now to ensure they are fully prepared once vaccines are approved and available for distribution.

From its global locations, MOL Logistics offers various options to transport, store and distribute medical devices. This mainly concerns the additional PPE and medical devices that are required to safely administer the vaccine.