HYANNIS – As the distribution of the coronavirus vaccines continues, supply chains are gearing up to be a critical part of the national vaccination effort.
Perry Fri, Executive Vice-President of Industry Relations for the Healthcare Distribution Alliance which represents 35 national distribution companies, said that the year has not been without its challenges for medical supply chains, but they have adapted.
“The healthcare supply chain has been stretched a little bit but has been remarkably resilient over the past few months,” said Fri.
According to Fri, pharmacies are working with close to 2,000 manufacturers who are shipping almost 11 million units of medication every day.
Fri said that past experiences with hurricanes, the H1N1 outbreak, and other disasters has grown the supply chain and given them opportunities to learn and develop.
When it comes to dealing with the ongoing pandemic, these experiences have prepared them for when the COVID-19 vaccine hits the marketplace.
“With the logistics, technology and security expertise that our members have, I think that they feel comfortable with the idea that they’ll be able to respond,” said Fri.
The COVID-19 vaccines have special temperature requirements, making them somewhat more challenging to transport than others, but Fri said that plans are already underway to provide proper conditions for the doses, with Pfizer even planning its own vaccine distribution channel in preparation.
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