Now that Pzifer and BioNtech's corona vaccine has approval to be used in the European Union, logistics faces a major task. On 26 December, Boxing Day, the first vaccines will be distributed to 26 countries.
Many European countries will start vaccinating from 27 December. The Netherlands will start doing so in January. A total of 11.7 million vaccines are available for our country. These are steadily coming this way until September next year.
Movianto major pivot in distribution
The vaccines will be stored from this weekend at logistics provider Movianto in Oss, major hub for the distribution of the vaccine. Movianto has experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has been handling the logistics of the annual flu shot for nine years. Back in September, it started preparations for the corona vaccine, writes the Brabants Dagblad, but Movianto's involvement was kept quiet for a long time. The company employing some 230 people is heavily guarded, including by the military police.
Read also: Question marks over logistical feasibility of vaccine
24 freezers
The hall in Oss houses 24 large freezers that keep the vaccines at a temperature of 70 degrees below zero. Trained staff from Movianto prepare the vaccines for shipment overnight. In a special cold store, they are thawed to 5 degrees Celsius. They are then transported to the puncture sites, where they are administered within five days.
If the vaccines from pharmaceutical companies Moderna and AstraZeneca are approved, they are also expected to come to Oss.
