As the COVID-19 pandemic surges around the globe, world leaders are trying their best to help their people by providing masks, personal protection equipment (PPE), testing kits and treatment for the disease. However, who transports and delivers these items? That responsibility goes to logistics firms. These firms are responsible for shipping and handling items, including healthcare necessities such as PPE, testing kits and medicine. The United Parcel Service (UPS) is one such company that has been doing an outstanding job providing such logistics globally. Its main focus, however, is providing logistics to the least developed countries in their fight against COVID-19. UPS is at the frontlines using its resources to help the poor in receiving COVID-19 relief and essential healthcare supplies to fight this pandemic.

COVID-19 Relief Efforts

UPS has been at the frontlines at the fight against COVID-19 since February 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic. The company transported medical supplies—2 million masks, 11,000 protective suits and 280,000 pairs of medical gloves—to China free of cost in February. This action provided Chinese health clinics and hospitals the resources they needed at a faster rate.

The logistics company has also partnered with the drone delivery service Zipline to provide blood bags, medicine, vaccines and healthcare equipment to remote regions in Rwanda and Ghana. It has completed about 44,900 flights throughout the pandemic. This has helped Ghana and Rwanda receive life-saving medication, assistance and other equipment in short amounts of time. Such supply chain innovation systems have put UPS at the center of the logistics scene in providing essential supplies to developing countries.

Making Sure Vaccines Are Available for All

UPS is also partnering with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. The partnership is working to ensure that unvaccinated individuals receive the COVID-19 vaccine upon development. UPS subsidiary company Marken specializes in supply chain logistics for healthcare, science and clinical supplies. Marken is preparing for providing transportation and logistics for the COVID-19 vaccines when they are available. The company believes that if it keeps transportation and resources ready, delivering vaccines will be faster and easier, especially to developing regions.

UPS has also committed to donating $3 million to provide free medical supplies and automated stock management systems to Uganda. UPS will soon help the country receive vaccines at a faster and efficient rate.

A Humanitarian Foundation

UPS has a separate nonprofit organization called the UPS Foundation. It focuses on providing humanitarian relief, environmental sustainability and inclusiveness within communities. UPS is at the frontlines in disaster response and humanitarian aid throughout the globe. The UPS Foundation assists many countries during disasters. The COVID-19 pandemic has mobilized the foundation to continue its work in struggling countries. The UPS Foundation invested about $20 million in disaster relief just last year in 2019 and has given U.N. agencies at least $6 million in grants to fight against COVID-19.

UPS and its humanitarian foundation has been essential in the fight against COVID-19. The private business works to improve the lives of those in need and continues to do so in the face of this pandemic.

– Sadat Tashin
Photo: Flickr