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Zipline has announced a successful collaboration with UPS and the UPS Foundation to assist the government in delivering Covid-19 vaccines across the country.
Supported by UPS Healthcare’s coordination with vaccine manufacturers, deliveries of UPS’s initial vaccines arrived this week in Ghana from COVAX facilities and transportation will begin rapidly within the country.
The UPS Foundation mobilized its distribution network to receive vaccines from Kotoka International Airport to the National Cold Room operated by the Expanded Program on Immunization of the Ghana Health Service.
Next, UPS will support the distribution of the bulk vaccine cargo to Zipline’s regional cold rooms and distribution centers in Omenako, Mpanya, Vobsi and Sefwi Wiawso.
As part of the government-planned vaccination rollout, Zipline will provide on-demand dose delivery directly to health centers.
Delivering vaccines on demand will allow the government to increase access to the vaccine in rural areas that lack cold chain storage and will minimize waste, as doses can be shipped as needed, arriving in as little as 15-30 minutes.
“The UPS Foundation is committed to supporting the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world,” says Nicole Clifton, President of the UPS Foundation.
“UPS is pleased to partner with Zipline and the Government of Ghana to promote the health and well-being of the Ghanaian community. This is a time like no other and it demands the expertise UPS has developed in healthcare logistics.
“We move the world forward by delivering what matters and UPS is proud to be a key player in the global public-private partnerships that help distribute vaccines around the world.”
The government integrated Zipline’s medical drone delivery service into its healthcare supply chain in April 2019 with the support of Gavi, Vaccine Alliance, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UPS Foundation and other partners.
Zipline allows instant access to hundreds of health articles for thousands of health centers across the country.
Zipline’s current network in Ghana can reach up to half the population and is scheduled to expand to the entire country later this year.
Zipline Ghana General Manager Naa Adorkor Yawson said: “Zipline is honored to be a key partner with the Ministry of Health in the implementation of COVID-19 vaccines.
“Our services allow equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for all Ghanaians, even in areas that do not have cold chain equipment. The on-demand delivery service also prevents vaccine waste and spoilage by shipping only the exact amount required by each facility at any given time.
“Zipline has the ability to deliver vaccines, even those that require ultra-low temperatures, to the more than 1,000 healthcare facilities we currently serve.”
“With a limited supply for the foreseeable future, COVID-19 vaccines are arguably the world’s most precious commodity this year,” said Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi.
“Since every dose is so important, it is critical to ensure that our partner countries have the support and tools to deliver vaccines effectively and efficiently to those who need them.
“This new support builds on the longstanding partnership between Gavi and the UPS Foundation, which is focused on ensuring that all children in Gavi-supported countries receive life-saving vaccines.”
Ghana Health Service, UPS Healthcare and Zipline will collaborate to ensure the safe handling and delivery of vaccines within the delivery schedule.
The Ghana Health Service will deploy its delivery vans, and UPS will do the same to ensure prompt delivery as Zipline receives vaccines and delivers them via drones to hard-to-reach areas within its operational areas.
On February 23, COVAX shipped 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine, from the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune, India to Accra, Ghana, arriving on the morning of February 24.
The arrival in Accra is the first batch shipped and delivered in Africa by the COVAX facility as part of an unprecedented effort to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.
COVAX is co-chaired by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Innovations in Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), who work in partnership with UNICEF and the World Bank, civil society organizations. civil, manufacturers and others.
