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Alrighty a low effort thread on #covid #logistics courtesy of the group chat. Idk how to do threads so... sorry.
“Logistics” is not synonymous with “Shipping”. Shipping is included in Logistics, but Logistics also includes Storage. I’m noting this because Amazon can’t fix the vaccine administration problem. Amazon is great at shipping and fulfillment, but this challenge is way more complex.
This thread is about storage.
These vaccines have a delicate shelf life. Pfizer: https://www.pfizer.com/news/hot-topics/covid_19_vaccine_u_s_distribution_fact_sheet
We need "special" freezers. Freezers that go this low are rare and usually purchased for very specific business needs.Dip N Dots was brought up a month or so ago as a potential solution.
The freezers they have where they sell to consumers can only reach -40 F. They developed freezers for other industries that go lower than this (-58° to -122° F), but I'd guess they don’t have a bunch of these waiting around to be sold. (Or if anyone's even trying to buy them)
To be clear Dip N Dots didn’t invent freezers that go this low… lots of other companies sell freezers that do this and they are expensive AF https://k2sci.com/5-cu-ft-86-c-laboratory-ultra-low-freezer/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA3Y-ABhCnARIsAKYDH7sS2o0Jg6-991PDd6QXQxe0goK7TjFjsK6V0se6IuJ0o8iI291tG-YaAvwMEALw_wcB
We do not have clear visibility into who has these types of freezers or where they are located across the country. Some hospitals have invested in them, but there is no clear database that’s being used for logistics planning (to my knowledge).
Also, freezers have limited capacities. We might not just need “one”, we need “many” near a final mile site (= where people are getting vaccines administered).
As you might have noticed in the handling requirements, once either brand of these vaccines leaves the subzero freezer, the time clock starts for its degradation.
It’s the equivalent of taking ice cream home from the grocery store, and having a broken freezer at home. Putting the ice cream in the refrigerator might prevent it from melting quickly, but it’s still melting.
So, even if you have the superfreezer and a testing site with a more common cold storage solution, that vaccine has a “short” (5 or 30 days depending on brand) shelf life. If you don’t use it all, it’s gotta get trashed: https://www.wkrn.com/community/health/coronavirus/2-employees-of-nashville-subway-vaccinated-to-prevent-waste-of-excess-doses/amp/
So, what do we need? To know where we need these freezers to be located, how many of them we need in each location, and the means to buy/install them (hopefully not manufacture them).
This thread was just about storage. Vaccine logistics also includes things like: 1) Transportation. 2) Aligning demand with supply (or vice versa)- tough w/ delicate shelf life and no data on who is willing to take the vaccine. 3) Generating demand through admin site awareness
