The United States launches a vaccine transport operation … From the Pfizer factory to the hospital.

On the 13th (local time), employees at the Pfizer plant in Calamer, USA, are loading vaccines and specially formulated dry ice in a container. (Photo = AFP)

[이데일리 방성훈 기자] Distribution of the vaccine in the US began with the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine and the conclusion of recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. US Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) For vaccine use. From pharmaceutical company factory personnel to airline and courier company truckers and pilots, hospital and pharmacy personnel, and state government officials, they have come together so that the distribution of vaccines and vaccines can be carried out without problems. A tracking device is attached to the vaccine load and specially designed containers and containers for dry ice, as well as tuna containers, are mobilized for storage and transport at cryogenic temperatures, reminiscent of a “vaccine transport operation”.

According to US media such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and CNN Broadcasting on the 13th (local time), as the administrative process for the distribution of vaccines and vaccination in the United States was completed, the vaccine transport operation began from this day . At the Pfizer factory in Calamer, Michigan, trucks loaded with Corona 19 vaccine left one after another for the airport and major transportation hubs this morning.

As the first box was loaded onto the truck, applause and cheers erupted. The vaccine is expected to reach 363 locations in the United States within this week, starting with 145 sites that day.

Currently, the number of confirmed corona19 in the United States has exceeded 16 million, and the death toll is approaching 300,000. Consequently, the US media described the vaccine transport operation as a “historic moment.” WSJ commented on this vaccine transport as “the largest freight transport since factories in the United States were converted to military production during World War II.”

GPS tracking transport box · Air bridge from Belgium plant… Full mobilization of delivery service and airlines

Pfizer vaccines are processed and shipped from a total of three factories. Raw materials made at the St. Louis, Missouri plant are processed for injection into the human body using its own technology at the Andover, Massachusetts plant, and then placed in glass bottles at the Calamer State plant. The vaccine produced in this way should be distributed and stored at -70 degrees Celsius. Pfizer has built dry ice manufacturing facilities at its state plant in Calamer and at its vaccine storage facility in Wisconsin.

Pfizer used specially made containers and dry ice, including tuna containers, to transport the vaccine. A box weighing approximately 36.2 kg (80 pounds) contains 195 vaccines, which is equivalent to 975 doses. A thermometer and a satellite positioning device (GPS) were also installed in the transport box to be able to identify changes in state.

Pfizer also produces vaccines at its Poors plant in Belgium outside the United States. Late last month, around 750,000 doses were loaded onto a United Airlines freighter for the first time, arriving at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Since then, United Airlines has brought the vaccine from Belgium to the United States five times.

The ‘first’ quantity of vaccine insured in this way will be delivered to 24 million people, including hospital medical staff and residents of long-term care facilities, targeting major bases via trucks and freighters such as FedEx and UPS. The first vaccination is expected to begin the next day, the 14th. The US government expects 40 million doses of vaccine to be delivered this month. The United States government predicts that by March of next year, approximately 30% of the population, or 100 million people, will be vaccinated.

Masks, syringes, needles, etc. they are also large-scale transport operations … even simulation

Vaccines are not the only thing you need in the logistics process. Diagnostic kits, masks, syringes, syringe needles, saline, and alcohol swabs necessary for vaccination should also be carried. This is because the vaccine contained in each bottle is diluted with saline, etc., and then inoculated with a syringe. Medical equipment dealer McKesson stocked these items at all major bases.

To deliver the vaccine to the right place and on time, UPS has also conducted simulation tests to transport the vaccine and critical medical supplies across the country by freighter or truck. In addition, each regional airport inspected refrigeration facilities for storing vaccines and conducted employee training. Each local hospital and pharmacy also established their own vaccination plans and began final preparations, such as checking refrigeration facilities for storing vaccines. WSJ explained: “For vaccine distribution to be smooth, numerous complex distribution chains must be maintained simultaneously.”

However, in this regard, Professor Yoshi Sheffie, director of the Center for Transportation and Logistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said: “There are many quantities to prepare at once, such as vaccines, dry ice, refrigeration facilities. and syringes, and no one is in charge of this. Each one has a lot of work to do, ”he expressed concern about the absence of the control tower. This could lead to delays in delivery, paralysis in front-line medical fields and even spread the virus through medical workers, Professor Sheffy noted.

Even if the vaccine is given … “Resolving mistrust is the biggest challenge”

A bigger concern is distrust of vaccines. In a Gallup poll conducted earlier this month, after Pfizer announced the vaccine’s efficacy results last month, 63% of Americans said they would receive the vaccine. This is higher than 50% in September, but lower than the July survey. Additionally, in a survey of 1,117 adult men and women in the United States from AP 3-7 and the Shisako University Public Opinion Research Center (NORC), 26% of respondents said they would not receive the vaccine. .

WSJ said that patients are reluctant to get vaccinated because of the excessively fast vaccine development and approval process, especially in the elderly, the trend is strong. The newspaper said: “The next thing the US government needs to do is persuade patients to get vaccinated.” In this regard, the president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden, emphasized that he will respond actively to alleviate anxiety about vaccines even before he takes office, saying: “America needs the leadership of the president now.”