Squaring up for the vaccine challenge

Vaccines against COVID-19 are in development, but their ability to end the pandemic depends on effective planning and partnerships.

Early in the coronavirus pandemic, the importance of medical products, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), became painfully clear. In many places, disruptions in the supply chain caused major problems in providing frontline workers with the equipment they desperately needed to care for people and save lives.

Although supplies of PPE are flowing better now, the work to improve the medical-products supply chain is by no means finished. Vaccines are in development, but their ability to end this pandemic depends on effective supply chains that can connect production locations to the public.

In early September, logistics company DHL published a study examining the foreseeable challenges to secure stable supply chains for vaccines and medical goods during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. Tackling the unprecedented conditions requires teamwork, informed planning and effective partnerships. In an interview, Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Customer Solutions & Innovation at DPDHL Group, explains why.

Reporter: Michel Munger

Host: Deborah Friedman

Editor-in-Chief: Steffen Henke

Production: Deborah Friedman

Marketing and digital promotion: Daniel Montua

Living Logistics is produced by the Internal Communications Team and the Digital Communications Team within the Communication, Sustainability & Brand department at Deutsche Post DHL Group in Bonn, Germany.

Jobs & Careers at Deutsche Post and DHL: https://www.dpdhl.com/career

Links: DHL White Paper – Delivering pandemic resilience: https://www.dhl.com/pandemic-resilience