Uruguayan government relies on va-Q-tec solutions and services for national vaccine distribution

va-Q-tec solutions

Würzburg, 18 April 2021. va-Q-tec, pioneer of highly efficient solutions in the field of thermal insulation and temperature-controlled supply chains, is now also working closely with the government of Uruguay to safely distribute the Corona vaccine. The infection situation is also becoming increasingly substantial in this South American country which is why the last-mile vaccine transport that is susceptible to disruptions is now being handled with the special va-Q-med thermobox. In order to provide the unbroken temperature chain (TempChain), the high-tech solution combined with the digital service of va-Q-nection was developed specifically for the last transport stage. Since March 2021, several hundred of these innovative high-tech boxes have already been prepared at the va-Q-tec branch in Montevideo for the distribution of the vaccines. Equipped with the valuable vaccines, the national distribution is now being carried out as quickly as possible with the help of helicopters, airplanes and vehicles.

Uruguay was initially able to control the spread of the virus well through a rapid government response with not even 1,000 people infected by July 2020. In October 2020, Uruguay was the country with the lowest numbers in all Latin America. Since November, however, the numbers have been rising rapidly. At the end of March 2021, the incidence was 442 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. To prevent a further massive spread of the virus, the government is relying on vaccinating the population as quickly as possible. Yet, their subtropical climate of very warm summers and high humidity poses major challenges to the logistical infrastructure of the vaccine distribution. The vaccines must be transported over the last mile at a constant 2°C to 8°C in order to guarantee perfect quality and product safety.

To meet this challenge with a safe, reliable solution, Uruguay relies on the use of va-Q-med thermoboxes. This innovative transport solution was specially developed for use in the temperature-controlled logistics of pharmaceutical products. Highly efficient insulation with vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) in the walls and bottom of the box allows temperatures inside to be kept constant for several days, even in extreme outside temperatures. High-quality temperature storage elements (Phase Change Materials – “PCMs”) ensure the right temperature inside the va-Q-med. Thanks to the robust outer shell, the box can be reused many times over and thus, additionally ensures optimum product safetyagainst mechanical influences.

In order to provide the safety of the valuable and vital vaccines at the required temperature constancy during the national transport, the service solution va-Q-nection from va-Q-tec is used during this project. This involves the intelligent combination of a data logger inside the box that permanently records the temperature curve and an app that connects to this logger without having to open the box. This TempChain service is being actively used and everyone involved in the transports has installed the va-Q-nection app having a complete overview of the quality of the thermal transport.

“The global pandemic shows how va-Q-tec’s innovative transport solutions can play to their strengths in challenging climates,” comments Edgardo Ipar, President of va-Q-tec Uruguay S.A.. “Combined with our digital services, we offer the perfect solution to ensure temperature-controlled supply chains have the best possible safety and transparency, not only in Uruguay but around the world. It makes me proud to be able to contribute in this way to the great goal of combating the CoVid-19 pandemic globally!”

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Neel Achary is the editor of Business News This Week. He has been covering all the business stories, economy, and corporate stories.