DHL Express transports US donation of 1,000,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to Malaysia

DHL Express, the world’s leading logistics provider, has successfully delivered the United States government’s donation of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The arrival of around 1,000,000 doses comes as part of a recent commitment by the US to assist with recovery efforts worldwide. This shipment is made possible via the COVAX global vaccine sharing programme that aims to accelerate global equitable access to immunisation against the pandemic.

“We are deeply honoured by the trust that our customers have placed in us and I’m incredibly proud that the team has yet again stepped up to successfully deliver another batch of Covid-19 vaccines to Malaysia. As DHL Express continues to leverage our global network and strong medical logistics expertise to ensure that these life-saving vaccines arrive safely and promptly, we must also remind ourselves of the need for collaboration amongst various parties and countries to manage this public health crisis effectively,” said Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific.

DHL Express arranged for the collection of the vaccines from facilities in the US before it was airlifted from our Cincinnati Hub to the DHL Express Subang Gateway, where it would be distributed to designated locations in Kuala Lumpur. From door-to-door, the journey spanned only four days in complete compliance with stringent handling and storage requirements.

“To date, DHL has transported more than 300 million doses of approved vaccines worldwide, five million of which were to Malaysia,” said Julian Neo, managing director of DHL Express Malaysia and Brunei. “The shipment today marks another milestone in combatting the spread of Covid-19 and contributing to the country’s recovery. In keeping with our mandate of connecting people and improving lives, we are proud to continue playing an active role in seeking a safe, new normal for the businesses and communities we serve.”

More than 9,000 life sciences and healthcare specialists work across DHL’s dedicated global network so that pharmaceutical, medical devices, clinical trials and research organisations, wholesalers and distributors, as well as hospitals and healthcare providers are connected across the value chain and through digitalisation, from clinical trials to point of care, and every step in between.

DHL’s portfolio for the healthcare industry includes 150+ pharmacists, 20+ clinical trials depots, 100+ certified stations, 160+ GDP-qualified warehouses, 15+ GMP-certified sites, 135+ medical express sites, and a time-definite international express network covering over 220 countries and territories. On a global scale, logistics providers are challenged to establish medical supply chain rapidly to deliver vaccines of unprecedented amount of more than 10 billion doses worldwide—also in regions with less developed logistics infrastructures, where approximately 3 billion people live. To provide global coverage over the next two years, DHL estimated in its vaccine logistics whitepaper that up to 200,000 pallet shippers and 15 million cooling boxes as well as 15,000 flights will be required across the various supply chain setups.