UPS delivers the first Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to South Korea

26 February 2021 3-minute read

As one of the world's busiest transport and logistics hubs, Incheon International Airport sees a constant flow of passengers and cargo. Sun, Feb. 26, however, was unique, as a fleet of UPS lorries lined up at South Korea's main gateway ready to receive its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines.

Korea Vaccine deliver

"Today, we are ready to make one of our most important deliveries in our 33-year history in Asia Pacific," said Scott Price, president of UPS International. "South Korea can count on UPS using our smart global network and expertise in healthcare logistics to support the government in delivering the vaccines efficiently, securely and sustainably."

UPS employees around the world successfully orchestrated the arrival of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, which require ultra-cold chain storage. The vaccines were packed and stored with great care in Belgium for their journey to Incheon; and then driven to designated storage facilities throughout South Korea – maintaining strict temperature and quality controls – to be administered to front-line healthcare workers and others deemed most at risk.

"These deliveries are a culmination of public-private partnerships coming together in moving our world forward by delivering what matters," said Doyoung Kim, managing director of UPS Korea. "Together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and other critical players, we are proud to have the opportunity to play a part in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic."

And this is just the start of South Korea's COVID-19 vaccination journey. UPS will leverage its global healthcare expertise and capabilities to continue delivering COVID-19 vaccines to South Korea and the rest of the world.

"We are here to provide quality focused, patient driven healthcare to help Asia Pacific stamp out this pandemic," Scott said. "Thank you to all our UPSers who played a critical role in making this delivery a success."

About UPS Healthcare

UPS Healthcare delivers unparalleled healthcare logistics expertise to its customers around the world. UPS Healthcare has 11+ million square feet of cGMP and GDP-compliant healthcare distribution space globally. Its services include inventory management, cold chain packaging and shipping, storage and fulfilment of medical devices, and lab and clinical trial logistics. UPS Healthcare's global infrastructure, its UPS^® Premier visibility service, its track and trace technology, and its global quality system are well-suited to meeting today's complex logistics demands for the pharmaceutical, medical device, and laboratory diagnostic industries.