The very first widespread use of COVID-19 vaccines is expected to begin as early as the fourth quarter of this year. By then, governments, public health agencies, and pharmaceutical companies will need to start supplying the global market with large quantities of vaccine—billions of doses. Against this backdrop, DHL and McKinsey have just published the report ”Delivering Pandemic Resilience.” The question posed—and partially answered—is how to ensure a safe and stable supply of critical medicines and medical supplies in the context of the current pandemic and other health crises.
Right now, about 250 different COVID-19 vaccines are being developed and tested, and they are all in various stages of development. Those that will eventually be used more widely are subject to strict temperature control requirements of up to -80 degrees during storage and transport—compared to the conventional storage temperature for vaccines, which is around minus 2 to minus 8 degrees. This is one of several challenges addressed in the report, which also notes that, in terms of sheer volume, the logistical challenge involves handling up to 200,000 pallets, 15 million deliveries of coolers, and 15,000 air shipments.
Stress Test for Global, Large-Scale Disaster Logistics
The report identifies the biggest challenges and key lessons learned so far from the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses in particular on inbound logistics and distribution challenges. The major challenge, of course, is managing the enormous volumes of vaccine that will now need to be stored, distributed, and delivered on time without being affected by temperature fluctuations. At the same time, it is essential to take sustainability issues into account throughout the entire process. In other words, this represents a comprehensive stress test for a global, large-scale, and complex logistics and supply chain system.
Framework for Managing Future Disasters
The report presents a framework for how future disaster situations should be managed through robust disaster preparedness planning, network collaboration, an effective logistics infrastructure, and IT support that provides the necessary visibility across the entire supply chain. The report can be downloaded here.
