DHL Express delivers first batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Malaysia

Rigorous planning and testing were undertaken by DHL to ensure supply chains support the vaccine’s stringent temperature requirements

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media
OutReach – 21 February 2021 – DHL Express, the world’s leading express
service provider has successfully delivered the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines
to Malaysia today. From door-to-door in just three days, DHL Express worked
with Malaysia Aviation Group’s cargo subsidiary MABkargo Sdn. Bhd. (MASkargo)
to fly the vaccines in and subsequently arranged for it to be sent directly to
designated facilities across Kuala Lumpur.

DHL Express delivers first batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Malaysia

 

“In
the past year, our teams across the world have truly embodied the As One
spirit, coming together to deliver personal protective equipment, medical
necessities and daily essentials to communities in need. We have now come full
circle to elevate our purpose of connecting people and improving lives with the
delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines to countries everywhere including the very
first of shipments to Middle East, and now to Malaysia,” said Ken Lee, CEO, DHL
Express Asia Pacific. 

 

“We
are proud to have the opportunity to make a difference and I can assure you
that no effort is spared in ensuring that our well-established DHL Medical
Express solution adhere to the stringent requirements of speed, quality,
security and reliability when it comes to transporting these precious cargo,” he
added.  

 

One of the key challenges faced in the shipment of the
COVID-19 vaccine is the stringent temperature requirements of the vaccine. The
vaccine was delivered in specially designed thermal shipper packaging customised
by the manufacturer. Each shipment was packed with dry ice to regulate the
temperature, enabling its use in locations that lack the physical
infrastructure to otherwise maintain the required temperature. Temperature
trackers equipped with sophisticated GPS technology are also packed within each
thermal shipper box to provide full visibility throughout the shipment’s entire
journey.

“As COVID-19 continues to
devastate lives and livelihoods, the vaccines represent hope for a better
2021,” said Julian Neo, Managing Director of DHL Express Malaysia and
Brunei. “Organising their distribution to so many people in such a short
time will be an extremely complex operation that we are well-equipped and proud
to contribute to. Since the onset of the pandemic, DHL Express has leveraged
our broad experience and expertise to help maintain the integrity of the
healthcare supply chain, ensuring vital supplies and protective equipment reach
communities and medical stakeholders in need.”

More than 9,000 life sciences and healthcare specialists work across
DHL’s dedicated global network so that pharmaceutical, medical devices,
clinical trials and research organisations, wholesalers and distributors, as
well as hospitals and healthcare providers are connected across the value chain
and through digitalisation, from clinical trials to point of care, and every
step in between.

DHL’s portfolio for the healthcare industry includes 150+ pharmacists,
20+ clinical trials depots, 100+ certified stations, 160+ GDP-qualified
warehouses, 15+ GMP-certified sites, 135+ medical express sites, and a
time-definite international express network covering over 220 countries and
territories.

On a global scale, logistics providers are challenged to establish medical supply chain rapidly to
deliver vaccines of unprecedented amount of more than 10 billion doses
worldwide–also in regions with less developed logistics infrastructures,
where approximately 3 billion people live. To provide global coverage over the next two years, DHL estimated in
its vaccine logistics whitepaper that up to 200,000 pallet
shippers and 15 million cooling boxes as well as 15,000 flights will be
required across the various supply chain setups.