US Defence Logistics Agency and Pfizer Collaborate to Ship Vaccines Overseas

One of the more recent challenges to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis has been regarding how to make sure everyone around the globe that needs a vaccine has access to one.

This includes the children of US Defence personnel serving abroad and Pfizer has recently announced plans to work with the US Defence Logistics Agency to facilitate the shipment of the nearly 40,000 doses which have been ordered for those in the five- to eleven-year-old age group. The orders need to be shipped to locations in the US European, Central and Indo-Pacific Commands and will be packed and dispatched from DLA Distribution Susquehanna, Pennsylvania to 18 processing and distribution centres. Although the doses for children are smaller, they still need to be shipped under carefully temperature-controlled conditions, something the US DLA is more than prepared for.

"Challenges have already been overcome since DLA distributed the adult Pfizer vaccine,” said Navy Cmdr. Mark Rozzell, who leads vaccine operations for DLA Distribution. “We also have well-defined, cold-chain management practices in place and strong cold-chain support through the medical team at DLA Troop Support. DLA Troop Support has done an outstanding job coordinating with the military treatment facilities to ensure the vaccines are delivered at the proper temperature in addition to being properly stored."