The Federal Aviation Administration says it has supported “the first mass air shipment” of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“As a result of the historic pace of vaccine development through Operation Warp Speed and careful logistics planning, the FAA today is supporting the first mass air shipment of a vaccine,” the agency said in a statement Friday.
The FAA said it established a COVID-19 air transport team in October “to ensure safe, expeditious, and efficient transportation of vaccines.”
It said that several vaccines needed to be transported with dry ice and it was working with manufacturers, air carriers and airports to provide guidance on regulations to safely transport large quantities of the hazardous substance in air cargo.
Pfizer’s COVID vaccine, for example, requires large amounts of dry ice to keep it at approximately negative 75 degrees Celsius.
One Maryland company is helping to create dry ice for future COVID-19 vaccine transportation.