The Indonesian government has secured a supply of COVID-19 vaccines for shipments starting from December.
The vaccine will first go to 3.4 million people in the priority group, which includes medical workers and law enforcement officers.
The government has targeted to vaccinate 135 million people in 2021, each will receive two doses of the vaccine.
And since different Covid-19 vaccines require different temperatures and different handling procedures, cold chain facilities, including equipment and procedures used in transport and storage, are a critical aspect before they are eventually administered to the masses.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘cold chain’ is a system of storing and transporting vaccines at recommended temperatures from the point of manufacture to the point of use. Thus, a cold chain involves three major components of infrastructure: planes, trucks and cold storage warehouses.
Vaccines are delicate products that can be damaged in excessive heat, light, or cold. A temperature-controlled ‘cold’ supply chain is crucial to their transport and storage, especially in a vast, hot country like Indonesia. In anticipation of the arrival of a vaccine for Covid-19, JAS Airport Services (JAS) has started to identify additional cold chain storage facilities for the expected enormous volumes that will be needed to inoculate Indonesians.
At the moment, JAS have 11 cold controlled storage facilities ranging from -2℃ to -25 ℃ (freezer room), 2℃ to 8℃ (chiller room) and 15℃ to 25℃ (cold room) in both Import and Export. JAS plans to enhance the existing cold storage facilities. The expansion and enhancements are:
• Enclosed Refrigerated Area at temperature of 15°C – 25° with an estimate space of 2062.5 m3 (25m x 16.5m x 5m) at Import Terminal. The main purpose is for Pharma storage and if need be e-Facilitation which is re-segregation, re-packing and re-labeling for distribution.
• Refrigerated Q-Lanes (RQL) of 15°C – 25° at both Import and Export Terminals. The purpose is to ensure the cold-chain is intact.
• Thermal Blankets to cover ULDs on arrival and departure.
And to ensure the integrity of the product throughout the supply chain, JAS aims to ensure a higher and more consistent level of pharmaceutical handling by getting certified IATA CEIV Pharma. One of the objectives is to improve handling of pharmaceutical products and compliance with existing regulations and standards. The validation is expected to be completed by March 2021.
In addition for quality assurance that ensures that the quality of a pharmaceutical product is maintained, JAS has secured GDP (Good Distribution Practices) from WHO.