COVID-19 vaccine arrives at Louisville's UPS Worldport

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Boeing 757 carrying the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine landed at 12:06 p.m. Sunday at Louisville's UPS Worldport. 

From Louisville, the vaccines will make their way to more than 145 distribution centers across the eastern half of the country by Monday. An additional 425 sites will receive shipments Tuesday, and 66 more will receive doses Wednesday. 

The vaccine is being doled out based on each state's adult population. Kentucky is expected to receive 12,675 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, while Clark Memorial Hospital in southern Indiana is one of five hospitals to receive some of the 55,000 doses allotted to the Hoosier State.

Vaccinations in Kentucky will begin when UPS delivers doses locally Monday morning, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release. University of Louisville Hospital, Norton Healthcare and Baptist Health Louisville are among the 11 Kentucky hospitals to receive an initial batch of the vaccine. 

"We in the commonwealth are excited to be a big part of defeating this virus all over this country," the governor said in the release. "... We are less than 24 hours away from the beginning of the end of this virus." 

Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine has arrived at Louisville's UPS Worldport.

It took UPS workers less than an hour to unload two containers of vaccines. Due to security measures, the company did not disclose how many doses were in the containers. 

The doses are stored at negative 70 degrees Celsius until they are administered and cannot be refrozen. Dry ice will be used in the shipping and delivery process to ensure the doses remain at the proper temperature, said Wes Wheeler, president of UPS Healthcare. 

Each box also contained GPS trackers, which allow workers to locate them anywhere inside the facility. 

COVID-19 vaccine arrives at Louisville's UPS Worldport

Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrive Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, at UPS Worldport in Louisville, Ky. 

Now that the vaccines are in Louisville, they will be sent out by Next Day Air to designated vaccination sites, including hospitals and long-term care facilities. An additional 25,350 vials are being delivered to CVS and Walgreens across eastern U.S. for residents and staff of long-term care facilities. 

UPS began shipping kits necessary to administer doses of the vaccine around the country earlier this week. Each kit is a 40-pound box packed with syringes, masks, sanitizer and a diluting agent. 

With Christmas less than two weeks away, UPS' vaccine distribution effort comes as the company is also navigating its peak shipping season. 

"We made capacity in our network because we knew these vaccines were so important," said Capt. Houston Mills, who piloted the Boeing 757 from Michigan to Louisville. "So not only are we going to be able to play Santa and ensure that all those gifts are there, we're also going be able to make sure these incredible vaccines are there, as well." 

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