Singapore’s national carrier is now preparing to bring a massive amount of Covid-19 vaccines into Singapore the moment they’re available.
Already, Singapore Airlines (SIA) revealed that they’ve scheduled test flights to simulate trial vaccination transport in the near future.
Apparently, they’re not the first to do so and airlines in the United Kingdom (UK) and Belgium are already doing so.
Yes, this means we’re indeed very, very close to getting the COVID-19 vaccines that everyone’s been praying for since February this year.
Preparing For The Inevitable
On 5 Dec 2020, SIA announced their plan and commitment to vaccination transportation.
They will be readying cargo planes as well as passenger planes to be deployed on cargo operations whenever needed.
Vaccinations aren’t just hard to come up with. Transporting them is pretty intensive too, especially when most of them need to be stored below a certain temperature.
SIA has also inked agreements with cold chain container providers to ensure that when it comes to crunch time, they have enough cold chain containers to transport a large amount of vaccines.
A cold chain container basically means a container which keeps a “temperature-sensitive” product at the desired temperature from start to end.
Trial Flights
So what does a trial flight entail? SIA flying to a country, settle down for two hours, and take off again?
Well, it could be like that, but the most important part of the trial is to check if you have the capability to transport the vaccines to Singapore without spoiling it.
SIA said that they’re in talks with several vaccine producers for the trial run.
They might not be using real vaccines, but a mix of sensors and vaccine packaging to simulate the products and see if it’s kept in optimal condition during transport.
Nonetheless, they are hoping to be given access to real vaccines for the test flights but details are still being worked out.
Meanwhile, SIA is also working with ground handling partner, Sats, to ensure that even on the ground, operations are ready to handle a large number of pharmaceutical product shipments adequately.
Here’s to hoping that they don’t treat the vaccines like they treat our luggage. #InsideJoke
On a parting note, SIA pledged to make sure that they’re ready for one of the biggest challenges of this generation: “the transportation and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines”.
Moderna Seeking Approval to Use COVID-19 Vaccine in S’pore & Can Ship Vaccine ‘Right Away’
Moderna, one of the two companies to have successfully developed an effective Covid-19 vaccine, is seeking approval from authorities in Singapore for use of its vaccine here.
If approved, the first batch of vaccines could arrive this month.
According to The Straits Times, Moderna is in talks with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in Singapore about using the vaccine here.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told ST that while the Singapore government may need some time to be “comfortable with the data” in order to ensure its safety, he anticipates it could be used here in December this year or January 2021.
The number of doses Singapore would receive could not be disclosed, but Bancel confirmed that Moderna can ship its vaccines here “right away” once approval is given.
Featured Image: Fedor Selivanov / Shutterstock.com
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