FedEx Express announced today (March 1st) that it has begun shipping the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine on behalf of McKesson Corp. to dosing centers throughout the United States.
The company has shipped millions of COVID-19 vaccines since U.S. distribution began in mid-December 2020 and is prepared to scale up to accommodate anticipated growth in vaccine volume throughout the spring and summer. Nearly three months after COVID-19 vaccine distribution began, FedEx has shipped COVID-19 vaccines and supply kits to administration sites across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. COVID-19 vaccine volume is split evenly with FedEx moving approximately half the doses allocated by the federal government.
Don Colleran, president and CEO for FedEx Express
As vaccine production ramps up and more vaccines are approved, we expect to see a significant uptick in COVID-19 vaccine and supply kit volume moving through our network. As manufacturers obtain approval to ship COVID-19 vaccines with greater temperature ranges and varying dosing allotments, we anticipate more of these packages moving to more places through our global network.
FedEx Express will transport the new COVID-19 vaccines and kits of supplies for administration of the vaccine, using its FedEx Priority Overnight® service supported by FedEx Priority Alert® advanced monitoring – the same process used for all COVID-19 vaccines packed out by McKesson Corp. and Pfizer Inc.
In addition to widespread distribution throughout the U.S., FedEx is delivering COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. military bases overseas for the Defense Logistics Agency, and is working closely with the Canadian government and healthcare companies to ship COVID-19 vaccines to all 13 Canadian provinces and territories.
Richard W. Smith, regional president of the Americas and executive vice president of global support for FedEx Express.
Over the past three months we have demonstrated the power of our network as we deliver safely and reliably with an average delivery time of less than 20 hours. Because we are able to ship to every ZIP code in the U.S., we can deliver to rural, suburban and urban destinations throughout the country within 24-hours while tracking the packages from start to finish in real-time as they move through our system.
FedEx has been on the front lines, keeping supply chains moving since the onset of the pandemic. Over the past year, FedEx Express has globally shipped nearly 65 kilotons of personal protective equipment including more than two billion masks. The company has committed $4 million in cash and in-kind transportation support to nonprofits serving communities in the U.S. and around the world including Direct Relief, International Medical Corps, and Heart to Heart International. FedEx is dedicated to moving the world forward, while delivering for customers and team members around the world.
About the technology:
At FedEx, the information about the package is as important as the package itself as it moves through the network. FedEx SenseAware ID, a Bluetooth low-energy sensor device, is affixed to vaccine shipments, helping to ensure these temperature-sensitive deliveries move swiftly and safely through the FedEx Express U.S. network with FedEx Priority Overnight service. From origin to destination, dedicated FedEx Priority Alert customer support agents are using SenseAware monitoring technology to track the location of vaccine shipments in near real-time. This technology is complemented by the FedEx Surround platform, which leverages artificial intelligence and predictive tools to proactively monitor conditions surrounding the packages, allowing customer support agents to intervene if weather or traffic delays threaten to impede delivery times.
