China has pledged to share its COVID-19 vaccines with other countries, especially those with which it has close ties. Although the country is not ready to distribute its vaccines internationally, it is equipping the infrastructure for mass distribution.
This week, Alibaba announced that it has partnered with Ethiopian Airlines to introduce a cold chain capable of transporting heat-sensitive drugs from China to the rest of the world. Air freight will depart from Shenzhen The airport, which according to Alibaba is home to China's first cross-border cold chain medical facility, twice a week to countries via Dubai and Addis Ababa.
"As soon as the vaccines are ready, we will have the ability to transport them," a spokesperson for Cainiao told ProWellTech.
Shenzhen is the base of SF Express, another major logistics operator in China that has also worked on the storage and shipping of vaccines.
The Alibaba route is carried out by the logistics arm of the Cainiao company, which operates in over 200 countries and regions. It is certified by the International Air Transport Association fly Covid-19 vaccines, which normally need to be stored at low temperatures. The cabins will contain temperature-controlled monitors, for example, and the Ethiopian cargo terminal has facilities that can be adjusted between -23 ° C and 25 ° C, or -9.4 ° F and 77 ° F.
"The launch of cold chain aviation has further strengthened our global logistics capabilities and enabled us to offer a complete solution for the global distribution of medical products such as COVID-19 vaccines," said James Zhao, general manager of Cainiao's international supply chain unit.
China is a leading exporter of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the country's logistics giants, from Cainiao to SF Express, have all promptly introduced specific programs for shipping medical relief items.
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