Supply Chain

We do not yet have a vaccine that can be used to help protect people from contracting COVID-19. However, once a vaccine is proven to be both safe and effective, governments, industry and healthcare providers will face the considerable task of figuring out how to distribute the vaccine fairly and efficiently.

Four months into the coronavirus pandemic, and the race to find disinfectant wipes continues. “I figured the rush would be over and people would relax a little bit, but I think they’re still hoarding,” Sean Sphisak, a shopper, said. “There’s none,” Angel Gonzalez, another shopper, said. “I’ve gone to all these grocery stores. I’ve gone to Rite Aid, CVS, anything you can think of, I’ve been there.”

On Friday, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey released the findings of their June investigation into why America’s biggest meat companies warned of domestic shortages while at the same time exporting record quantities of meat to China during the height of pandemic-related supply chain backups in April.

The shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the U.S.—which has exacerbated the COVID-19 crisis across the country—is likely to continue in a second wave of the pandemic. It has also exposed supply chain vulnerabilities in the process, namely, the reliance on foreign countries to produce the overwhelming majority of specialized PPE, such as N95 masks. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has been deeply disruptive for supply chains as businesses grapple with fluctuations in supply and demand, intermittent outbreaks in different parts of the world, and speculation about reshoring and reducing reliance on China. Many companies are looking at restructuring their supply chains, trying to balance resilience with efficiency and reduced costs — a process either started or accelerated because of the pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains of medical supplies, which stoked public fear over shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies. As the world is focusing on the development of vaccines to combat the latest coronavirus, we shall not lose sight of the delivery of these vaccines, especially when there is a lack of a coordinated medical supply chain in the U.S.

Behind the news about resurging coronavirus cases and the debate about wearing face coverings in the U.S., a global race is underway to develop Covid-19 vaccine to quell the pandemic. As of July 15, 2020, there were 163 vaccines against the coronavirus and 23 of them were undergoing human trials. Before this race ends, we must start thinking about the endgame. The underlying health risks have prompted the U.S. government to promise delivery of 300 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine by January 2021 under Operation Warp Speed.

The shortage of crucial medical supplies, especially personal protective equipment, has crippled the United States’ ability to quell the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 54,000 nursing home residents and workers have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. as of June 26. This is a staggering number when compared to nursing homes in Hong Kong, which have reported zero deaths despite cramped quarters.

Much like the internet isn’t one thing, the supply chain isn’t either. Instead, it’s a complex, symbiotic relationship between consumption and production that, in theory, is supposed to balance out. And usually it does. But when it doesn’t, you get the current toilet paper aisle at your favorite local grocery store with limited supplies. Four months ago, WABE’s host of “All Things Considered,” Jim Burress asked Georgia Institute of Technology’s Pinar Keskinocak to break down the concept of the supply chain. Monday, Keskinocak spoke to Burress again and gave an update, but she started the conversation with a reminder of what exactly the supply chain is.

The shortage of crucial medical supplies, especially personal protective equipment, has crippled the United States’ ability to quell the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 54,000 nursing home residents and workers have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. as of June 26. This is a staggering number when compared to nursing homes in Hong Kong, which have reported zero deaths despite cramped quarters.