How technology can address challenges in the COVID19 vaccine management programs across globe?
COVID 19 pandemic is surely not ended yet, but a vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel. Every human on this planet is keeping an eye on vaccine development and hoping to get a shot as earlier as possible. On the one hand, where frontline workers are managing to cope with the current COVID patients, our governments are planning to manage COVID vaccine programs so that vaccines can reach each of us in minimum time. The COVID vaccine program is one of the biggest vaccine programs happening in history. Therefore, from delivering to optimizing the entire supply chain, we would need the great help of technologies.
Pfizer vaccine is one of the first COVID vaccines to get approved by the United Kingdom. Since the vaccine is ready for the next big challenge is to send it to people’s arm straight from the laboratory.
Technologies will play a crucial role in making the vaccine and also managing the vaccine program. Below are some of the challenges and technological solutions to manage COVID vaccine programs.
1. Real-time Logistics monitoring of Vaccine
Vaccine delivery is one of the major challenges in the worldwide COVID vaccine program. To overcome this challenge, some technology players have come up with a real-time logistics monitoring solution. The solution can resolve major vaccine delivery issues. The solution can monitor temperature, condition, and location in real-time. It can automate workflows to recognize and predict temperature excursions. It can also monitor new delivery routes and suppliers. It uses machine learning and cloud analytics to optimize the entire supply chain. The solution helps to deliver vaccines in time-efficient ways.
2. Smart Containers to Store COVID-19 Vaccine
COVID vaccines such as Pfizer/BioNTech would require ultra-cold temperatures. Therefore, in the vaccine program, we would need a smart container to help in the logistics process. Switzerland based firm, SkyCell has come up with IoT enabled smart containers that are able to maintain a steady temperature of -60 degrees to -80 degrees. These smart containers can hold the ultra-cold temperature for 120 hours without charging. These containers may make the vaccine supply chain robust enough to deliver the vaccine in viable condition and sufficient volume.
3. Cost Effective Vaccine Program
To make the COVID vaccine program cost-effective, there are some brilliant companies that have proposed innovative needle-free injection technology. US firm PharmaJet has combined artificial intelligence and synthetic biology approaches to develop a vaccine that is specific to develop antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vaccine can be given through people’s skin using a device without any needles with stable DNA vaccine technology. Such machines could be used to for large vaccination program to avoid cost of syringe and needles.
4. Prioritizing and Distribution of the vaccine
Using a digital dashboard, we can overcome another challenge to priorities the covid vaccine candidates. In order to interrupt transmission, mathematical modeling indicates that we would need to vaccinate a large proportion of the population with a vaccine that is highly effective at preventing infection.
Through the digital dashboards, all evidence indicates that the best option for preventing morbidity and mortality in the initial phase of the program is to directly protect persons most at risk of morbidity and mortality. To bring this in action, government has prioritized elderly people age of 80 years above to provide the vaccine doses. This age wise segregation would also include critical health condition patients.
After elder people, frontline health and social care workers will be given priority as they are at increased personal risk of spreading COVID-19 infection. After these, elderly people with the age of 70 and below, pregnant women with heart disease and children will be given this privilege.
Technology has shown the power to survive this pandemic. With less than a month to spare before the calendar flips to 2021, we have at least one vaccine with 95% effectiveness to immune us from the novel corona virus.
Stay tuned with Fibonalabs to get the latest updates on new technologies and their applications. Our digital services would help you to ease the success path for you. We offer effective digital and development techniques to build digital products in the health care industry.
