Vaccine logistics, are we ready?

Recent weeks have shone a more favorable light on possible ways to thwart the global threat of Covid-19. As many as three vaccines were announced to be at least 90% effective and ready to be brought into the markets.

As all vaccine doses will be produced locally, a whole new world of distribution opportunities arises for companies like Samawat. We are given the unique opportunity to use our logistics expertise to and from Libya to help contain a worldwide pandemic within our sphere of action.

We are convinced that our knowledge of the local conditions and requirements in Libya puts us ahead as a possible distributor of the vaccine, and we are more than willing to fulfill that duty. Precise plans for the actual delivery processes etc., are yet to be determined by governments and producers. No ideas have been made public yet, so we will try to prepare ourselves as extensively as possible. We are aware of the global need for fast delivery and distribution of the vaccine and aim to be ready when called upon.

Our approach to the situation will be a practical one. For now, we have identified several challenges that will need to be taken into consideration, and we will meet them as follows:

Is there going to be a distribution system in Libya (risk patients, system relevant occupations first)? 

Most vulnerable groups are expected to receive the vaccine first. During the next step, if we are to take our experience in distributing aid into account, our priorities would be for areas with more need.

If such priorities will, in fact, affect the distribution, who will be responsible for making sure these people really do receive vaccines before anyone else does, and when will the vaccine arrive in Libya?

We assume the WHO will team up with the Libyan ministry of health and that they will dispatch plans to specific facilities in different regions of the country. As the logistic company, we would ensure that the vaccines sent to a specific facility would be received in full to the hub of the destination region. Further distribution will be a local responsibility.

Libya is waiting for the vaccine to be tested in Great Britain, Germany, and the USA before it will be distributed among the population in what is expected to be the first few months of 2021. According to an announcement made by the Scientific Advisory Committee to combat the Corona pandemic in Libya, about two million doses are expected to be available early 2021.

How do you avoid people playing fast and loose with the vaccines? They are to be distributed fairly and for free globally (among the population, states will have paid for them beforehand), so will there be a means of ensuring this will be the case? It is fairly easy to play with people's minds and, frankly, pockets when it comes to placebos or alternative means of 'healing'; after all

We believe that this will be quite regulated. All the shipments would be taken directly from the manufacturer and sent to each destination. Government committees are being formed, according to the statement by the Scientific Advisory Committee, however security issues are a significant risk.

Are there any religious issues that need to be taken into consideration? Around the world, some institutions exist that do not allow any form of modern medicine - could that also be the case in some parts of Libya?

This is not true for the Libyan population. Some people may have some doubts about the effectiveness of modern medicine and choose to go with traditional and alternative medicine, but there is no religious taboo per se.

How informed and/or involved is the population in Libya? How well do news like these (vaccines being available) travel in Libya, and to what extent are the rural regions affected by the virus?

The Libyan population is very informed, and news travels fast, even in the most remote places in the south of Libya. Most parts of the population will welcome the chance to receive the vaccine, and we do not expect any problems here.

Keeping the vaccine doses cool will be an issue. Here, we see the following problems:

How will the vaccine reach Libya? Will there have to be local storage facilities at ports/airports in cases of emergency? And once the vaccine has reached its final destination and is ready for distribution: how can the people responsible make sure the vaccine is stored properly until it can actually be administered?

We believe sea freight to be the most likely means of transportation, but at this point, without knowing where the vaccines are coming from, we can only guess the mode of transport. Storage facilities have not been built yet, but if the vaccines arrive in special containers with the necessary cooling technology, that wouldn't be a problem. The problem is the distribution facilities/warehouses, the clinics, and ensuring that the vaccines are handled with the utmost care. If we can believe the estimate of Q2 2021 being the likely time where distribution will be started, then the vaccines will be ready for delivery as the weather is getting warmer in Libya, and there needs to be a complete infrastructure laid out.

It is our sincere hope that governments, companies, and NGOs will work together to ensure swift, safe, and fair distribution of the vaccine.

We know Libya and its people.

We have made it our business to navigate the complex social and security processes Libya presents, and we offer a unique experience in the distribution of aid during difficult times.

Once the vaccine is ready, so are we.