Shreya NairThese unprecedented times have presented us with little to celebrate. So the emergence of a vaccine during this time truly calls for a celebration. You’ll be pleased to know that Singapore Airlines (SIA) has delivered the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to Singapore!
Image credit: Ministry of Communications and Information
The vaccine was delivered on 21 Dec 2020 onboard one of SIA’s Boeing 747-400 freighters. The flight had departed from Brussels, Belgium on 20 Dec 2020. This is the first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that has been delivered to a country in Asia.
Under what conditions can the vaccine be stored?
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has to be stored at a temperature of -70°C. This can only be achieved through specially designed temperature-controlled shippers that use dry ice to maintain optimal temperature.
Image credit: Ministry of Communications and Information
Additionally, the vaccine can only be stored at a temperature of 2-8°C for a period of five days. The vaccine vials cannot be refrozen once they have thawed and stored at 2-8°C.
How was the vaccine stored onboard the aircraft?
SIA took several steps to ensure that the temperature requirements for the COVID-19 vaccines were met. They signed agreements with key cold chain container providers to ensure access to sufficient amounts of temperature-controlled containers to account for the large volume of vaccines that were to be transported by air.
Image credit: Ministry of Communications and Information
Additionally, prior to the delivery flight, SIA conducted a successful shipment trial on 19 Dec 2020 on the same freighter. The flight route taken by the freighter during the trial run was also the same.
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The trial run successfully ensured the smooth and safe delivery of the thermal shippers or cool boxes. In addition, the internal temperature of each box was actively tracked on an end-to-end basis. The sublimation rate of the dry ice in the cool boxes was also measured.
The shipment containing the COVID-19 vaccines was prioritised for loading and unloading in Belgium and Singapore respectively. Upon unloading, it was transported to SAT’s cold-chain facility, Coolport, for storage and underground transportation.
Image credit: Ministry of Communications and Information
Mr. Chin Yau Seng, Senior Vice President Cargo, SIA, said, “The delivery of this first batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Singapore is an important milestone in the fight against Covid-19, and we are honoured to be able to play a part in this”.
This is indeed a great achievement in the battle against COVID-19! Let’s hope this new development brings around greater joy in the New Year.
Information extracted from a press release issued by Singapore Airlines
