Logistics companies and airlines, the key links to vaccine distribution, may have the capabilities to transport novel coronavirus vaccines but will have to ramp up capacity to cater to the needs of over a billion citizens across India’s rural and urban belt, industry experts said.
However, this can only be done when pharma companies conclude the trials and the vaccines are finalized and ready for distribution for the mass immunization drive. So far, four major vaccine developers have announced the results of their late-stage trials, including Pfizer, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Russia’s Sputnik V, raising hopes that a vaccine will hit the market soon.
“What we need is capacity. There is nobody who is distributing a billion doses (presently). This is a task which no single player can do alone, neither the government nor a single private player, and every hand which is available will be needed,” said R.S. Subramanian, senior vice-president and managing director, DHL Express India Pvt. Ltd.
