The Reason Singapore Is Ready To Become A COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Center In Southeast Asia

Vaccine illustration (Unsplash / Daniel Schuldi)

JAKARTA - Singapore is ready to become a distribution center for the COVID-19 vaccine in the Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific regions. There are several reasons why developed countries can become a distribution base for vaccines before they are distributed to the region. This can be implemented immediately if Singapore gets approval of a broader regulation.

Quoting the Straits Times, Tuesday, December 15, the director of the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS) aviation industry, Ho Yuen Sang, said Singapore could play a distribution role for the regions because the infrastructure to handle large volumes of vaccines is still limited.

"In such areas, they may prefer to receive vaccine shipments in smaller volumes so as not to overload the refrigerant capacity," said Ho Yuen Sang. He spoke at a press conference by the Changi Ready Taskforce to explain Singapore's readiness to handle an air cargo of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Ho said Singapore's ability to store vaccines at low temperatures puts it in a good position to temporarily store vaccines. We take for example, the Pfizer vaccine which needs to be stored at a temperature of minus 70 degrees Celsius and Moderna which requires a temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius.

It is known, the task force formed to work on the project is co-chaired by CAAS and the Changi Airport Group (CAG). They consist of 18 members, including Singapore Airlines (SIA), ground handling, logistics partners and regulatory authorities.

Regarding Singapore's ability to have vaccine refrigerants, CAG's managing director for air hub development Lim Ching Kiat said: "We have put a lot of emphasis on strengthening Changi's competitive advantage in terms of shipping pharmaceutical cargoes. So Changi Airport in particular in recent years has become the top choice for shipping. pharmaceutical purposes. "

The task force said that Singapore Airlines also operates several weekly flights to major European pharmaceutical centers, such as Amsterdam, Brussels and Frankfurt. Singapore Airlines also said that it has an extensive network in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific, which includes Australia and New Zealand. The first batch of Pfizer vaccine is being produced at Puurs in Belgium and will be transported from Brussels.

Logistics center

Not only that, Singapore is also a regional hub for major logistics players such as DHL, FedEx and UPS. They have strong network connectivity at Changi Airport, the task force said.

"Changi Airport, together with the authorities, will try to engage some of the main shippers to sell Changi's air hub power as a whole, how do we have experience in handling drugs, and for this exercise we will do it in a safe manner," said Lim Ching. Tips.

The move to position Singapore as a hub for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine comes amid growing cargo handling. CAG said cargo flights at Changi Airport had tripled from the end of 2019 to 950 flights every week on 1 December with about 80 cities connected via these cargo flights.

On the importance of Changi working to become the distribution center for the COVID-19 vaccine, Lim Ching Kiat said it represented humanitarian efforts and helped bring the cargo business to the airport. He added: "Widespread vaccine distribution is a very important part of the recovery of passenger journeys, so we also have a huge stake in ensuring that vaccine distribution is made as efficient and fast as possible."