We need enough cold chain trucks, freighters and expert handling for vaccine movement: Viraj Vohra

Commenting on if India has the infrastructure to move vaccine, Viraj Vohra, Director, Continental Carriers, says, “There is a big difference between routine freight forwarding and vaccine supply management. Vaccine supply is quite complex and requires a temperature-controlled atmosphere throughout the shipping process, starting from the manufacturing unit until the delivery point. We cannot afford to ignore vaccine freight. We need enough cold chain trucks, freighters and a good freight management scenario and expert handling of the same. Airlines should convert passenger planes to freighters to increase the freight capacity.”
“Good numbers of cold chain trucks are required to fulfil the last-mile delivery of the vaccine. A number of the leading COVID-19 vaccines under development will need to be kept at temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius from the bottling stage till they are injected into patients. A good number of planes, trucks, warehouses and health centres will need to be outfitted with freezers. The erratic electric supply at the final point where the vaccination will be stored for the public will be another challenge. We just cannot ignore the risk factor and security concerns involved in logistics for the vaccines. Vaccine logistics would require special planning, secured loading and protection throughout its movement,” he adds.