A logistical challenge like no other in history

PICTURE the biggest launches in history - the original iPhone, or perhaps the invention of the humble ThumbDrive by Singapore tech company Trek 2000 International - and you can imagine all the logistical coordination that took place behind the scenes.

The iPhone and ThumbDrive were highly anticipated products with exceptionally strong demand. Yet, they would be relatively small-scale next to the coming logistical challenge of delivering a Covid-19 vaccine globally.

This effort will essentially be the largest product launch ever, with unprecedented demand as billions of people eagerly await vaccination over the coming months and years, creating arguably the most complex large-scale logistical scenario the world has ever witnessed.

With more than 150 novel coronavirus vaccines being developed at a record pace in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Russia, and India, life science organisations at the forefront of the vaccine's development and their distribution partners need to address many pressing questions around its journey through the supply chain to successfully transport, store, and ultimately distribute it.

Transportation of the Covid-19 vaccine

The vaccine will need to be distributed via a temperature-controlled cold chain, which are highly sensitive and require constant quality and condition checks. Compounding the issue, cold-chain logistics are particularly difficult in warmer climates, and with Singapore sitting about 137 km north of the equator, this could pose a significant obstacle.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

Singapore Airlines Cargo plays an important role in the biomedical sector supply chain, ensuring that critical and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical and healthcare products are transported with speed and reliability. It was recently the first airline in the Asia-Pacific to be awarded the IATA CEIV Pharma certification, a globally-recognised pharmaceutical product handling accreditation.

With readily available modified aircraft and services that are equipped with the necessary technology and controls to handle temperature-sensitive goods, Singapore is well-positioned to tackle the logistical challenges posed by cold chains.

Quality assurance and preventing counterfeits

A chain of custody will need to be maintained from cradle-to-grave - to ensure a verifiable transcript of the vaccine's lifecycle and journey. And traceability is a must, considering a long history of counterfeiting in pharmaceutical supply chains. Considering the unprecedented demand for Covid-19 vaccinations, every dose will need to be tracked and verified to ensure counterfeits aren't being delivered to vulnerable populations.

Singapore has proven itself as a leader in contact-tracing to track the spread of Covid-19 with its TraceTogether tokens; however, the next question is - how will the vaccine be tracked? Blockchain could provide the answer. Blockchain offers a way to record transactions on a distributed ledger for security, transparency, and accuracy. The tamper-proof nature of blockchain enables all parties in a supply chain network to record transactions at each stage of the product's journey, and is a powerful tool to prevent real doses being replaced by counterfeits along the pharmaceutical supply chain.

But it's not blockchain alone. In order for it to stop fraud, blockchain has to go hand-in-hand with advanced technology such as sensors and Internet-connected (Internet of Things or IoT) devices. For example, a delivery driver transporting the vaccine could attempt a pass-off on the side of the road. A sensor installed on a delivery truck can tell when the truck stops or detect when the door opens. That data is then recorded on the blockchain ledger, which would flag an issue with the shipment. This use case of blockchain and IoT technology would prevent ineffective counterfeit products being administered to the population and prevent real doses from being sold (at a premium) on the black market.

Temperature-controlled warehousing and storage

Singapore's strategic location and technological advancement makes it a stepping stone into the Asia-Pacific and a key business hub in the region. Its highly advanced cold-chain air transportation and temperature-controlled packaging technologies make it a regional leader in pharmaceuticals. Backed by logistics partners such as Changi Airport Group, Singapore will play a key role as a distribution hub to take the vaccine to its neighbouring countries. However, this will not be possible without the cold-chain facilities to store the vaccine before mass distribution, so now is the time to put in place the right equipment for this.

With the spike of online grocery shopping observed during the circuit breaker back in April, online retailers had to revamp their cold-chain delivery facilities in order to accommodate the high volumes of demand. However, if they wish to be part of the distribution channel for the vaccine, they would have to further improve their cold storage capacities, given the vaccine's temperature requirements.

Administration of the vaccine - the real test

Unfortunately, the last leg of the vaccine's journey might be the trickiest. Similar to the issues some markets have faced in Covid-19 testing, determining the sites for administration of the vaccine will be a huge challenge.

Can space-starved Singapore find new areas for administration or will existing Covid-19 test venues be the best option? Pharmacy capacity is limited, so will most vaccinations take place at already resource-constrained hospitals? Are larger facilities like theme parks, stadiums, under-utilised airports, or vacant retail spaces an option?

And should there be separate facilities for senior citizens, similar to when dedicated shopping hours were set up for the elderly and other 'vulnerable segments' of the community to get their essentials during the circuit breaker?

Post-launch challenges

Distributors will also need to consider the possibility of recalls, which will heavily burden an already over-taxed supply chain. Since it's logistically impossible to vaccinate everyone in a first wave, distributors will need to develop standalone strategies for multiple waves.

With many companies still relying on decades-old technology, the distribution of the vaccine will witness a never-seen-before level of demand and complexity. The ageing back-office systems that many logistics companies are relying on are not capable of managing the scale and complexity of the task at hand.

This is why many organisations are turning to flexible and scalable SaaS applications for the supply chain and re-architecting their operations to be able to leverage innovative technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT and blockchain to improve efficiency.

Now is the time to begin preparations ahead of the vaccine launch to ensure its journey through the supply chain is smooth and effortless.

With Singapore's highly innovative spirit and technologically advanced infrastructure, the country will be ready to take on the challenges of the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine - and we'll soon learn whether its nationwide preparations have paid off.

READ MORE: