Getting the jab It’s possibly the greatest logistical challenge ever faced by humankind: distribution of temperature-sensitive vaccines at unprecedented speed and scale. ANTHONY SHARPE delves into the challenges facing South Africa’s roll-out plan
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outh Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine programme is underway in fits and starts, with the AstraZeneca option first being rejected, and the subsequent Johnson & Johnson roll-out paused and then resumed. And while procurement has been centralised in the hands of the National Department of Health, experts in the logistics market need to be involved in the distribution process, says Daniel Dombach, Director EMEA for Industry Solutions at Zebra Technologies. “That’s what we’re seeing in the majority of countries. Most governmental organisations don’t have the knowledge or infrastructure. The police and army can play an assisting role but should leave track-and-trace and cold chain monitoring to the experts. “Transportation of pharmaceuticals has been happening for a long time, so most countries have an existing
infrastructure of logistics providers, many specialising in the cold chain, who are adept at handling vaccine transport,” says Dombach. Thankfully, South Africa is well equipped in this capacity, asserts Mohammed Akoojee, CEO of Imperial Logistics. “There’s no lack of warehousing capacity or transport expertise in the private sector to handle a project of this scale.” What will determine the success of the endeavour, says Akoojee, is coordination at the front end because rapid mass vaccinations require supply chain efficiency. “To enable effective coordination, there needs to be good information flow between the point of vaccination and warehousing, distribution and logistics.”
Vaccines usually take years to develop, prompting concern among some about the safety of those being rolled out with such relative speed. These development cycles have been enabled by unprecedented funding and global sharing of financial risks. The COVAX initiative for example, which provides vaccines to the developing world, has the support of 190 countries. Such development cycles are also not unprecedented: a vaccine was developed for the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic in just six months, and one for the Zika virus took just two weeks more than that. Source: Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance
Distribution points Mass vaccinations also require a massive number of vaccination points. “Authorities around the world have set these up in major sports arenas, parking garages, concert halls or repurposed exhibition halls,” says Dombach, “with some places even offering drive-through vaccinations. “Doctors’ offices will play an important role, but if you
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want mass vaccinations of as many people as fast as possible, you’ll find the logistical challenges of delivering to individual doctors are greater than those of delivering to a larger venue.” Akoojee estimates there are presently around 50 centres across the country doing phase one vaccinations for healthcare workers, adding that this needs to be amped up significantly.
F R E I G H T, L O G I S T I C S & W A R E H O U S I N G
2021/05/20 9:51 AM
