Rigorous planning and testing were undertaken by DHL to ensure supply chains meet the stringent delivery requirements

DHL Express, the world’s leading express service provider, recently contributed to the successful delivery of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to Hanoi, Vietnam. DHL Express arranged the arrival of the vaccines on a cargo flight from Belgium to Vietnam and subsequently delivered it to the designated point of use in the country.

“To play a part in the distribution of vaccines to Vietnam clearly shows that we have once again lived up to our purpose of ‘Connecting people, improving lives’. Vaccine delivery requires a concerted effort between parties from different parts of the world to ensure the vaccines arrive in a safe and secure manner. I am proud of the entire team that has worked hard to pull this off so that we can help to contribute to this global challenge,” said Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific.

DHL Express Vietnam’s Country Manager, Bernardo Bautista said, “We are proud to be able to help Vietnamese people to receive more vaccination for COVID-19. Since the onset of the pandemic, DHL Express Vietnam has always been committed to supporting the government and our customers in delivering essential items such as relief goods, medical and protective supplies quickly and securely. Managing the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines requires well-established cold chain and pharmaceutical logistics experience and expertise, for which DHL has very a strong track record.”

One of the key challenges faced in the shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine is the stringent temperature requirements of the vaccine. The vaccines were delivered in specially designed thermal shipper packaging customised by the manufacturer. Each shipment was packed with dry ice to regulate the temperature, enabling its use in locations that lack the physical infrastructure to otherwise maintain the required temperature. Temperature trackers equipped with sophisticated GPS technology are also packed within each thermal shipper box to provide full visibility throughout the shipment’s entire journey.

More than 9,000 life sciences and healthcare specialists work across DHL’s dedicated global network so that pharmaceutical, medical devices, clinical trials and research organisations, wholesalers and distributors, as well as hospitals and healthcare providers are connected across the value chain and through digitalisation, from clinical trials to point of care, and every step in between.

DHL’s portfolio for the healthcare industry includes 150+ pharmacists, 20+ clinical trials depots, 100+ certified stations, 160+ GDP-qualified warehouses, 15+ GMP-certified sites, 135+ medical express sites, and a time-definite international express network covering over 220 countries and territories.

On a global scale, logistics providers are challenged to establish medical supply chain rapidly to deliver vaccines of unprecedented amount of more than 10 billion doses worldwide—also in regions with less developed logistics infrastructures, where approximately 3 billion people live. To provide global coverage over the next two years, DHL estimated in its vaccine logistics whitepaper that up to 200,000 pallet shippers and 15 million cooling boxes as well as 15,000 flights will be required across the various supply chain setups.