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If the COVID pandemic has taught us anything, it is that solidarity is innate to us<\/strong>.<\/p>\n How many landlords have postponed rents to help tenants recover from job losses; patrons have left hefty tips to keep the local joints afloat; factories repurposed their production lines to resupply hospitals with essential gear.<\/p>\n The stories of thoughtfulness and solidarity echoed throughout the world in 2020.<\/p>\n At Tecnam, we joined the fight to preserve the health and wellbeing of our community as soon as the news of the pandemic hit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We have worked hard to keep our staff as well as their jobs safe and we have responded to the community\u2019s needs quickly by developing the EN166 face shield to fight the virus diffusion.<\/p>\n Now, we have joined forces with our neighboring manufacturer of ultra-freezers, DESMON, to contribute to the final fight for a COVID-free world.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past months we all wished for a vaccine against COVID-19, and Pfizer\/BioNTech1 made it possible. But, it would not be a turning point for the world pandemic without the precise, efficient, and affordable, capillary distribution chain that we are now able to provide.\u201d<\/p>\n Our new P2012 TRAVELCARE aircraft platform<\/a> is developed to empower COVID vaccine distributors worldwide to deliver timely help to all.<\/p>\n Here is how this platform is game-changing:<\/p>\n In the final stages of the COVID vaccine development, the challenges surrounding vaccine refrigeration came to light.<\/p>\n According to Pfizer\u2019s factsheet<\/a>, to preserve their integrity, the vaccines must be transported in extreme temperature conditions of -70\u00b0C\u00b110\u00b0C.<\/p>\n Once thawed, the vaccines cannot be refrozen and must be stored under temperature conditions of 2-8\u00b0C for up to five days.<\/p>\n This not only requires specialized refrigeration solutions but a whole infrastructure of specialized transportation units and storage systems so none of these life-saving vials would go to waste.<\/p>\n Fortunately, Pfizer as well as distributors worldwide were quick to engineer transportation methods that would allow them to move and store the vaccines.<\/p>\n However, the challenges in COVID vaccine distribution do not end with refrigeration.<\/strong><\/p>\n Very few outlets have discussed the issues of the transportation cost and, more importantly, the reach of the current transportation systems.<\/p>\n If unaddressed, this problem can lead to delivery delays in remote communities worldwide – a problem that would allow this pandemic to claim more lives before the solution can reach them.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at this more closely:<\/p>\n Given the time-sensitivity of the mission, distributors must move large quantities of vaccine doses per trip quickly and efficiently.<\/p>\n The large aircraft may be the optimal solution; however, their reach is limited.<\/p>\n For instance, only 33% of European airports can accommodate big freighter jets.<\/p>\n With the large aircraft delivering the vaccines to the major hubs, the further distribution depends on the networks of trucking companies.<\/p>\n Here, we must think of the road conditions and the communities that inhabit hardly accessible regions including those with underdeveloped transport infrastructure.<\/p>\n Delivering this life-saving solution to them can rely on multiple handovers, which is what the logistics experts warn against<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In an interview for NPR<\/a>, Director of Northwestern University’s Transportation Center Mr. Hani Mahmassani said:<\/p>\n \u201c[Vaccine transportation] requires speed in moving but it also requires a sort of minimizing the number of hand-offs<\/strong> because it has a limited shelf-life. Once it leaves the deep freezers of Pfizer, it has a limited time before it needs to be in somebody’s arm.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And so we arrive at the main motivation behind the P2012 TRAVELCARE project.<\/p>\n \u201cThe COVID pandemic is a global issue. Even with the solution for travelling to our doors, we mustn\u2019t forget others.<\/p>\n At Tecnam, we\u2019ve worked hard to ensure that help reaches everyone. We are here to empower distributors to deliver the vaccines efficiently and equitably to all communities worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n Public records do not have insight into the exact transportation costs, but rough estimates show that these can go as high as EUR 11 (USD 13.5) per vaccine in certain areas – a testament to the complexity of this supply chain.<\/p>\n On the other hand, P2012 TRAVELCARE is one of the most cost-efficient transportation solutions available. Averaging less than EUR 0,004 (USD 0.005) per vial, per flight hour.<\/p>\n The main pain points of the current logistics network may lead to an inequitable delivery of help.<\/p>\n The transport accessibility challenges could lead to delivery delays in certain areas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For the remote communities in the developed countries, this could mean days; For the communities in developing countries, this could mean weeks.<\/p>\n As we write this, the total number of lives the COVID pandemic has claimed worldwide has surpassed 1.8 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n When it comes to delivering help, time is of the essence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pharma houses have performed miracles producing viable vaccines in record time. They have pulled their weight for humanity. We cannot fail now. We have to work just as hard to deliver the vaccines just as efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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The Real Extent of the COVID Vaccine Distribution Problem<\/h2>\n
COVID Vaccine Distributors\u2019 Reach<\/h3>\n
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COVID Vaccine Transportation Cost<\/h3>\n
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What Does the COVID Vaccine Transportation Challenge Mean for the Communities in Hardly Accessible Areas?<\/h2>\n
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