Cainiao is holding discussions with Chinese vaccine makers over logistics for Covid-19 vaccine. It is reported that the company has established a partnership with Ethiopian Airlines to transport the vaccine to the Middle East and Africa.
Cainiao is a logistics company established under Alibaba. It in fact strengthens delivery for the ecommerce giant’s marketplace, and seeks to ensure delivery of goods within 72 hours globally.
A spokesperson for Cainiao told the media “We are currently in discussion with some domestic Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers and international organisations on cooperation over Covid-19 vaccine logistics.” These include Sinovac Biotech, CanSinoBio and China National Pharmaceutical.
It is reported that China is making significant advances in the discovery of the vaccine and they are running into the final stages of clinical trials. This is to assess the efficacy of their Covid-19 vaccine candidates.
Cainiao said in a statement “This is China’s first cross-border medical cold chain route to be operated regularly and is certified to transport temperature-controlled medicines including Covid-19 vaccines.” During the pandemic, cold chain storage and transportation have become vital to transport the necessary medicines to countries across the world.
Pfizer, for instance, is required to be stored at temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius or below, media reports said. Also, for the Pfizer vaccine to be rolled out in India, its Indian subsidiary will have to approach the regulator and share the data that has been provided to the UK regulator. The Covid-19 pandemic has killed nearly 1.5 million people globally.