Busy shipping season
Fedex, UPS to split western and eastern U.S. for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
UPS will focus on delivering COVID-19 vaccine doses to the eastern half of the United States, a company spokesperson confirmed, leaving the western half of the country for Fedex in a 50-50 split between the two delivery giants.
"COVID-19 vaccine distribution will be balanced among major cargo carriers and we are one of two primary vaccine shippers in the U.S.," Fedex said in a statement regarding the split distribution. "We have worked closely with our healthcare customers on a highly orchestrated and precise distribution plan, but are not releasing details."
Fedex and UPS have not released the specific states each is responsible for in the distribution effort, but Wes Wheeler, president of Global Healthcare at UPS said Thursday. “We know exactly what states we have, and they know what states they have.”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Pfizer and Biontech's vaccine could come in just days, with distribution beginning shortly after.
"We could see people getting vaccinated Monday, Tuesday of next week," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on ABC'S "Good Morning America.” If granted FDA authorization, Pfizer's vaccine will be shipped from its Kalamazoo, Michigan, manufacturing site and its Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, distribution center to administration sites using ground and air transportation from Fedex and UPS. Fedex Express' primary shipping hub is in Memphis, while UPS' global air shipping hub is in Louisville. UPS is shipping COVID-19 vaccine kits, with kits moving in and out of its Louisville “Worldport” daily, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.
Richard Smith, Fedex Express Regional President of the Americas, said Thursday that the company has reserved capacity for COVID-19 vaccines and is working with government officials to give flights carrying the vaccine top priority.
Louisville Courier Journal business reporter Ben Tobin contributed to this article.