KUALA LUMPUR: DHL Express is ramping up its Covid-19 vaccine delivery worldwide, with 200 million doses having been transported as of last week.
Thomas Ellmann, vice president of Life Sciences & Healthcare EMEA, DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation, said the global logistics company delivered vaccine doses to over 120 countries and operated 9,000 flights, in which more than 350 DHL facilities were involved.
He said while the delivery process only started in mid-December last year, prior engagements with various governments and non-governmental organisations were initiated to ensure a smooth process.
"In Germany, for instance, we have started to work with three federal states whereby from two strategic points in our supply chain map, we are able to provide support at more than 150 vaccination points on a daily basis to deliver the vaccines and syringes.
"Early discussion, good planning and partnership have so far proven to be very successful," he said during a virtual media briefing today.
Ellmann however did not divulge details on the set target of vaccine doses to be delivered by DHL this year.
Meanwhile, DHL Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Customer Solutions & Innovation Katja Busch said it has last year taken steps to accommodate the vaccine delivery process through a white paper in offering its perspective on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on supply chains and logistics.
She said the document, which was published in September, was aimed to trigger discussions between the pharmaceutical industry, governments and logistics companies to seek solutions in transporting the vaccine supplies.
On the delivery process, she said innovations like the use of dry ice in shipping containers and monitoring system in aircrafts were adopted to ensure the vaccine supplies arrived safely and in perfect condition.
DHL Express, the appointed delivery agent for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in Malaysia, has so far delivered two million Covid-19 vaccines to the country.
The 312,390 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines arrived in Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb 21.
In a statement later, Busch said keeping supply chains running and ensuring delivery for essential health supplies provided valuable lessons for the company, particularly in pandemic management.
The company, she said, rolled out new dedicated services for vaccine distribution at unprecedented speeds.
"All sectors, industries, and nations must work together to successfully end the acute phase of this pandemic.
"Forming strong partnerships and leveraging data analytics will be key.
"We also need to remain prepared for high patient and vaccine volumes, maintain logistics infrastructure and capacity, while planning for seasonal fluctuations by providing a stable and well-equipped platform for the years to come," she said.
DHL Express Malaysia and Brunei managing director Julian Neo said the recent months of vaccine rollout had shown that the safe, timely and efficient transportation was not simply a matter of bringing them from point A to point B, and that a huge effort was needed behind the scenes to manage and optimise the entire process.
"With our extensive logistics expertise in the life science and healthcare sector, we are proud to have delivered more than two million doses to Malaysia and continue to play an active role in the country's pandemic response," he said.