Sir Patrick Vallance has announced that the vaccine could be widely available in the first half of 2021. However, the unprecedented scale of its impending distribution means that a hugely complex supply chain will need to be created immediately if there is to be any chance of it being delivered on time.

As the race to create a COVID-19 vaccine intensifies, there is an equally essential need to plan for its delivery. While good progress has been made to plan the logistics for its distribution, the unprecedented scale and complexity of the operation will undoubtably cause issues. The stakes have never been higher when it comes to creating a working supply chain.

Creating a vaccine supply chain on this scale on an aggressive timescale is no easy task. There are 15 to 20 component parts needed for any given vaccine as part of the delivery kit, from the medical-grade glass to the cotton swabs and disinfectant, that need to be considered and manufactured accordingly. And, for the vaccine itself to remain effective, the supply chain must work optimally to protect its viability. That means maintaining an effective cold chain, is critical. A lack of collaboration and interoperability could lead to confusion as change of custody happens across the value chain.

Creating the optimal allocation and distribution strategy requires a multi-pronged, collaborative, tech-enabled approach between governments, the private sector, drug distributors, non-profits/donors, and providers with a high degree of transparency. Stakeholders around the world must make these decisions to protect humankind and distribute the vaccines to the broader population. Using data and analytics to take into consideration data sets such as hospitalizations, fatality rates, level of testing and positive results of the testing to identify vulnerable populations and prioritize should streamline the demand management and allocation processes.

There is no time to lose. If a vaccine is to be delivered effectively to those who need it most, stakeholders across public and private sectors must work together.