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American Airlines “successfully moved” thermal packaging during a test flight.
There is no approved COVID-19 vaccine yet, but preparations are already underway for its distribution – including extreme temperature requirements.
American Airlines announced this week that its cargo operation has started conducting test flights from Miami to South America to test its vaccine shipping process.
This includes stress testing on a trial of “thermal packaging from a large pharmaceutical company,” CEO Doug Parker said in a LinkedIn post earlier this week.
The theft did not involve any dose of the vaccine, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
Parker said the airline “successfully moved” the company’s thermal packaging, which had not been identified, last week.
Pfizer and BioNTech were the first to submit an application to the United States Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Distributing their vaccine poses a potential challenge: It needs to be stored at around minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit – much cooler than a typical freezer can accommodate.
Due to these temperature requirements, the company will ship vaccine doses in special temperature-controlled thermal boxes filled with dry ice.
American Airlines said in a statement to ABC News that it has established a “network of team members specializing in critical temperature shipments” and that it will work with the Federal Aviation Administration on “the regulation of shipments. transported with dry ice “.
The use of freight and commercial carriers will allow the vaccine to be “distributed as quickly as possible,” Parker said.
United Airlines has also prepared to “support a worldwide vaccine distribution effort,” a spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.
The company stands ready to “safely and efficiently” support the vaccine transport needs of its pharmaceutical customers, the spokesperson said.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the airline had started using Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech said they would be ready to distribute the vaccine within hours of authorization.
Company representatives are scheduled to meet with the FDA on December 10, after which an independent advisory board will make a recommendation on clearance.
Moderna’s candidate will likely be among the first vaccines distributed as well. Earlier this month, the company announced that initial Phase 3 data showed its vaccine to be 94.5% effective.
General Gustave Perna of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed vaccination program told ABC News this week that vaccines would be “on the streets” in communities just 24 hours after being cleared by the FDA.
Elderly care facilities and health care providers will be the first to offer the vaccine, according to U.S. officials.
ABC News’ Amanda Maile contributed to this report.
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