» UPS expects 40% uptick in dose deliveries in coming weeks,

United Parcel Service and Fedex are ramping up vaccine distribution, with plans for additional gains if Johnson & Johnson’s inoculation is cleared by U.S. regulators.

The couriers are handling about 10 million doses a week on a combined basis and that number is set to climb to 14 million next week, said Wes Wheeler, chief of UPS’ health care unit. That doesn’t include the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine, which hasn’t yet been granted an emergency use authorization but has been found by U.S. regulators to be safe and effective.

Peak vaccine distribution will probably occur in May when other manufacturers, such as Novavax, begin to ship their products, Wheeler said. The volume now is about a one-third of the expected peak level, and there’s plenty of capacity to handle the surge, he said. Even when UPS reaches the maximum distribution level, the company estimates vaccines will account for about 6% of the 24.7 million packages it delivers worldwide every day.

“We made sure that even during the peak periods that we would have enough capacity in our network to be able to prioritize all vaccines,” Wheeler said in an interview.

Fedex has made vaccine distribution a priority and employees have taken it personally, said Don Colleran, chief of the company’s overnight Express unit. Thomas Gregory, a pilot who was stricken with COVID-19 and recovered, flew the first vaccine shipment in December to Fedex’s hub in Memphis, Tennessee. Now the company is gearing up to include the Johnson & Johnson shot in its network.

“It’s a big deal for us,” Colleran said. “We’re ready for this additional vaccine and any that follow.”