UPS has announced a partnership with pharma and medical supply distributor McKesson to deliver the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, the second lifesaving candidate authorised for emergency use by the US.

Through contracts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response to support the US vaccine taskforce Operation Warp Speed, McKesson will be the centralised distributor for non-ultra-frozen COVID-19 vaccines and ancillary supply kits.

“This is a critically important initiative for UPS, and we are committed to delivering what matters for as long as it takes,” said Carol Tomé, CEO of UPS.

“McKesson is a valued UPS Healthcare partner, and we will continue to leverage the strength of our network to safely and efficiently get these life-saving vaccines and supplies to their final destination,” she added.

Also read: DHL Express kicks off global vaccine distribution, makes first stop in Israel

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is the second in the US to be deployed in a months-long global race to develop safe treatments against the spread of the virus.

In Europe, UPS Healthcare is on standby to assist with deliveries after the European Medicines Agency authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in the continent.

“With our UPS Healthcare campus and freezer farms in the Netherlands and our European air hub situated nearby in Cologne, Germany, we are moving the world forward to deliver what matters most to help Europe stamp out this pandemic,” the company said.

In Singapore, the first batch of Pfizer vaccines arrived in Changi Airport on 21 December onboard SIA’s Boeing 747-400 freighter, less than a week after Moderna confirmed a supply deal with the Ministry of Health.