From left to Right, Joss Tepper CTO of Swoop Aero, Leonard Tabilip EPI National Coordinator MOH Vanutu, JimCoyne UAV advisor to CAAV, Doctor Ridwan Gustiana Immunisation Offcier UNICEF Vanuatu infront of Swoop Aero Drone after it successfully completed its third and final scored flightPhoto: UNICEF
From UNICEF:
The vaccine delivery covered almost 40 kilometers of rugged mountainous terrain from Dillon’s Bay on the west side of the island to the east landing in remote Cook’s Bay, where 13 children and five pregnant women were vaccinated by Miriam Nampil, a registered nurse. Cook’s Bay, a small, scattered community that does not have a health centre or electricity, is only accessible by foot or small local boats.
To deliver the vaccines for Joy, the drones, operated by an Australian company called Swoop Aero, carried styrofoam boxes packed with ice and electronic monitors to make sure that the vaccines never reached an undesirable temperature in the warm environment. During trials, the drones traveled over 31 miles (50 kilometers) and landed within 7 feet (2 meters) of its desired destination.
UNICEF notes that Vanuatu is very interested in utilizing drones for not just vaccines, but also for delivering much needed medical supplies to remote and underserved areas.
“Today’s first-of-a-kind vaccine delivery has enormous potential not only for Vanuatu, but also for the thousands of children who are missing out on vaccines across the world,” Fore said. “This is innovation at its best, and shows how we can unlock the potential of the private sector for the greater good of the world’s children.”
Companies like Amazon may be tardy in delivering the drone-future we were promised. But at least these drones are being used for good. We could use a lot more of that here in 2018, to say the least.
[UNICEF]
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