Background and objective:
Cold chain logistics still frequently stops at the final distribution centre before embarking on the tough ‘last mile/low-income settings’; more rudimentary transport takes over (human, donkey, bicycle, drone, SUV). Recent WHO/UNICEF and independent reports sounded alarms as June 2022 data show global vaccination coverage continued to decline in 2021: 25 million infants missing out on lifesaving vaccines, due in part to supply-chain unavailability/disruptions that damaged at least 25% of vaccines (some cases up to 80% potency loss, the largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years). In places of complex challenges around delivery (infrastructure, climate, floods, civil/ military conflicts, …), the objective is to progressively improve vaccine distribution – hence vaccine potency and overall impact by introducing innovative but inexpensive technologies, to reduce waste, inefficient deliveries, theft, fraud.

Methods:
2 simultaneous on-going levels: *equip any carrier fleet, current and future, for position tracking and content status monitoring with basic robust IoT labels/tracking systems, avoiding manual data capturing, providing transparency of current ‘invisible’ units. *introduce an active, rugged, compressor-based, self-refrigerating/autonomous, IoT-smart Cold Box/vaccine carrier, powered by solar and battery, with IoT components/sensors; currently under development; PoC pending WHO Certification. * Trials/evaluation of transport ‘last mile’ by Health Authorities, vaccination programmes.

Results:
expected: * massive increase of live data enabling analysis of deficiencies, hence remedies; * reverse sample logistics becomes possible; * overall vaccine potency increases dramatically: * paradigm shift from random short-term to long-term controllable mobile cooling units.

Conclusion:
implementation of both aspects - upgrade of ‘invisible’ vaccine carriers and introduction of active, smart, carriers will significantly extend ‘last mile’ or ’broad use’ vaccine logistics efficiency, facilitating coverage of Public Health Authorities’ vaccination campaigns in countries with issues. Coll MacDougall-Hunter Hunter Global Tracking Ltd. 14, Avenue Industrielle 1227 Carouge Switzerland