Airfreight coldchain specialist Envirotainer is calling for continued collaboration between pharmaceutical firms and the logistics industry as it marked the billionth Covid vaccine carried in its fleet of over 6,500 temperature-controlled air cargo containers.
With much of Europe introducing new lockdowns in the face of the Omicron surge, the whole sector needs to be ready to meet increased demand for vaccines and boosters, it says.
Just 56.9% of the world population has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, it says and pharmaceutical manufacturers, forwarders, airlines and cold chain-solutions providers need to work seamlessly as extensions of each other, it says.
This calls for total transparency on which consignments are crucial and need to be prioritised and also requires further advance planning, not only in terms of keeping COVID-19 treatments moving, but also other life-saving drugs that are required every day across the globe.
Envirotainer’s chief operating officer, Niklas Adamsson, said: “We’re incredibly proud of handling a billion vaccines at a time when air freight has been restricted and demand has been sky high. This is thanks to the incredible collaboration we’ve been part of across the industry.
“We’ve worked closely with our partners and customers, and now want to work even closer with those efforts in the face of Omicron. It’s crucial we continue to work in unity across the cold-chain to get the next doses to the patients, where they’re needed. It’s our responsibility as part of the fight against coronavirus, and we’re ready to do all we can.”