Emirates air freight division, Emirates SkyCargo, has transported 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Calling the achievement a historic day for the transportation of modern vaccines, Emirates SkyCargo says it’s a significant milestone.
Emirates SkyCargo has today paid homage to Louis Pasteur, who administered his first vaccine to a human on July 6, 1885. Louis Pasteur was the man who discovered pasteurization and developed vaccines against rabies and anthrax.
Emirates SkyCargo has played a crucial role
Like Pasteur, modern chemists and microbiologists have been racing against time to develop vaccines to inoculate the world against COVID-19. And while several effective vaccines are now being produced, they still have to be delivered to where they are needed. Emirates SkyCargo has played a vital role in distributing COVID-19 vaccines using its massive fleet of cargo aircraft.
From its hub at Al Maktoum International Airport (DCW), Emirates SkyCargohas worked tirelessly to supply developing counties with the vaccines. Key highlights of the COVID-19 vaccinations transportation include the following:
- Emirates aircraft have carried more than 600 tons of vaccines which is the equivalent of 150 million doses.
- Emirates planes have delivered vaccinations to more than 80 destinations on six continents.
- Emirates has transported six different COVID-19 vaccines.
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The world’s most vaccinated nation
With so many doses of COVID-19 vaccines passing through Dubai, it will come as no surprise to learn that the UAE is the most vaccinated nation on the planet. According to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker, the UAE has now overtaken Seychelles in getting its population vaccinated. So far, the Gulf State has administered 15.5 million doses enough to cover 72.1% of the population.
Despite its successful vaccine rollout, the number of COVID-19 cases in the Perian Gulf nation remains high. The UAE has been on the United Kingdom’s red list since January. The United States also now lists the UAE as a country not to visit.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has gone a step further by suspending all travel to the UAE until the number of coronavirus cases comes down. In response to declining passenger numbers, Emirates has slashed 150,000 seats in July.
About Emirates SkyCargo
Emirates SkyCargo is regarded as a global leader in the air transportation of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals like COVID-19 vaccines. The air freight operator also has a dedicated Good Distribution Practices (GDP) Certification to handle pharmaceuticals at its Dubai hub.
As the world was ramping up to prepare to distribute COVID-19 vaccines when they would become available, Emirates SkyCargo teamed up with DP World, International Humanitarian City, and Dubai Airports.
Called the Vaccine Logistics Alliance, they prepared to rapidly transport COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries through Dubai. This was shortly followed by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UNICEF to transport vaccines under the COVAX initiative.
According to the aviation statistics and data website, ch-aviation Emirates has a fleet of 11 Boeing 777-200Fs.
From what we can see from the Emirates SkyCargo statement, the Gulf carrier is certainly doing its part of the vaccination front. It will continue to do so as long as people still need to be vaccinated.
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