By Jen Gidman, Newser Staff
UPS, FedEx are teaming up for a COVID vaccine ‘shipathon’ during holiday shopping season
Per Axios, UPS is going to take charge of vaccine deliveries in the eastern part of the US, while FedEx will handle the west. What FedEx Express Executive VP Richard Smith calls the “shipathon” of 2020 will also have special protocols in place to keep tabs on the vaccines, including labeling with tracking technology, temperature-monitoring devices (the Pfizer vaccine must be kept at -94 degrees Fahrenheit), and priority takeoff and landing for planes carrying the vaccine, CNBC reports. “Just to point out how profound this is, you have two fierce rivals … who are literally teaming up to get this delivered,” Smith says. Naturally, what may have to give is the on-time delivery of holiday packages, though execs from both services hope that people are understanding. The vaccine initiative is “among the most important work in the history of our company,” Smith says. (Read more delivery service stories.)