Cathay Cargo has passed the milestone of shipping more than 15 million COVID-19 vaccines around the world.

The landmark figure includes vaccines that have been imported for use in Cathay Cargo’s home hub of Hong Kong, as well as supplies for distribution to countries including Mexico, Malaysia and Indonesia.

‘The 15-million-dose landmark was achieved today upon delivery of a new batch of Fosun Pharma/BioNTech vaccines into Hong Kong,’ said Cathay Pacific Head of Cargo Markets & Products John Cheng, speaking on 13 April. ‘We also have two shipments from Beijing to Mexico carrying doses of Sinovac and CanSino vaccines.’

‘All of these shipments deploy our new Ultra Track multidimensional tracking and data-logging system,’ he added.

To date, Cathay Cargo has carried five different COVID-19 vaccine brands. ‘Over the past few months, we have flown shipments of vaccines from AstraZeneca, Fosun Pharma/BioNTech, CanSino, Covaxin and Sinovac, which require different handling temperatures ranging from -70°C to 2-8°C,’ said Cargo Products Manager Alex Leung.

While most of the vaccine delivery flights have been to online ports, shipments to Latin America and the Caribbean in particular have showcased the strength of Cathay Cargo’s extended network.

Director Cargo Tom Owen added: ‘We are also hugely appreciative of the efforts from our operational teams across the world, whose expertise has enabled us to move these delicate vaccine shipments with confidence, ensuring they arrive at their destination in perfect condition.

‘We stand ready to play our part to deliver more of these much-needed vaccines as the world tackles the global pandemic. Our Vaccine Solution has proven itself to be ideally suited to the fast and effective distribution of vaccines across the globe, using our extensive global network of both freighter and passenger fleets.’