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Distribution of a Covid-19 Vaccine

With most of the world still facing significant challenges from the current Covid-19 pandemic, there is a tremendous amount of anticipation and hope behind finding a vaccine for the virus as a way to end the nightmare finally. While ensuring the vaccine's viability is one major challenge we face, distributing the vaccine once a viable candidate has been confirmed will present a whole other challenge within itself. For discussion purposes, let's explore the current plan for how the CDC will distribute the vaccine through the supply chain network:

Once the vaccine receives approval, a vaccine site will then request to distribute the vaccine and place an order for a number of doses to be distributed from their site.
The orders will then be placed within the company designated to manufacture the vaccine, who will then ship the vaccine out within 24 hours of the order as long as supplies are available (Weise, 2020).
Distribution of the product may require ultracold storage and, therefore, may require special containers filled with dry ice and reefer trucks to move the product to facilities where distribution will be done (Gorelick, 2020).
As the vaccine may require special storage, most doses of the vaccine will be distributed at places well equipped to handle the unique storage requirements, such as a major medical center or hospital.
From there, the virus will be distributed to the public through the medical center and administered by medical professionals.

The high demand and anticipation of the virus may greatly hamstring the global supply chain as things stand within the current distribution plan. One possible solution to ensure that the supply chain isn't overly exerted throughout this process is to deploy the military to help distribute the vaccine. Much of the military's responsibility relies on transporting people and supplies all across the globe as quickly as possible to ensure their mission is accomplished (Gorelick, 2020). So, while the world is on a standstill waiting for a vaccine to be manufactured and approved, even more significant challenges lie ahead when it comes time to hand out the vaccine to the public.

Contributor: Garrett Applegate

Resources:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/09/06/covid-vaccine-complex-distribution-supply-chain-follow-approval/5712053002/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/09/25/covid-vaccine-distribution-logistics/

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