McCormack and Coulton inspect cold-storage infrastructure
A federal government visit to DHL Supply Chain’s ultra-cold storage facility has revealed more information on the German logistics giant’s vaccine distribution process in Australia.
DHL Australia’s ultra-cold and secure storage facility will keep safe the supply of Australia’s Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which needs to be stored at between minus 60 and 80 degrees.
Australia will receive 20 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses in 2021.
DHL will also distribute the Astra Zeneca and Novavax vaccines, when approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), to Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and external territories such as Norfolk Island.
DHL will also support the distribution of the Pfizer vaccine in aged care residential facilities and disability residences across Australia.
“We now have access to more than 150 million vaccine doses across the Pfizer-BioNTech, OxfordAstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines, ensuring we remain a world leader in the fight against the virus,” says federal transport minister Michael McCormack, who visited with federal for regional health and local government minister Mark Coulton.
“It is important that these vaccines, which are in high-demand worldwide, are kept safe and secure which is what the Australian Government and our logistics partners are doing.
“We were shown how the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccines across Australia is moving closer, with the plans for the complex process and safe and secure distribution.
“DHL is capable of handling close to three million Pfizer vaccine doses, as part of the initial deliveries to Australia.”
How DHL and Linfox were announced the vaccine distributors, here
Coulton pits his focus on the challenges of delivering vaccines to everyone, with more than a third of our population living outside capital cities.
“That’s why we are partnering with highly-experienced logistics professionals to ensure we have the capacity to deliver on our national vaccination plan,” he says.
“Every person living in regional, rural, and remote Australia can rest assured they will have access to safe, effective Covid-19 vaccines at the same time as their city cousins.
“Australians will soon begin to receive their two-shot vaccine regime, with priority populations starting at the end of February.”
Though consternation is growing on the schedule of the vaccine rollout here amid further outbreaks, Coulton and McCormack reiterate it will start in late February to ensure an orderly roll out to priority groups “which is safe, effective and explained properly to Australians”.
DHL is one of two logistics and distribution companies, alongside Linfox, contracted to distribute the Covid-19 vaccines.
“Vaccines are sensitive, temperature-controlled items,” DHL Australia CEO Saul Resnick notes in a post online.
“DHL Supply Chain’s leadership in logistics for healthcare products, makes us a natural partner for this important initiative.”