Charlotte Drones

Could drones play a part in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic?

Drones could help transport vaccines to places that are hard to reach by delivery trucks.

Could drones play a part in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic?Volume 90% Author: WCNC StaffPublished: 5:23 AM EDT August 27, 2021Updated: 8:14 AM EDT August 27, 2021

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Atrium Health’s Wake Forest hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, recently became the first hospital in the U.S. to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine via drone. 

There’s no doubt that drones are cool, but will this technology actually make the vaccine rollout more efficient? Let’s connect the dots

Atrium Health has been working with UPS for a long time to perfect this technology. Now they can use a drone to deliver vaccines 25 doses at a time from the main hospital to nearby practices and pharmacies.

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And this is not your normal delivery drone, it’s climate-controlled. Remember, the COVID-19 vaccine has to be stored at incredibly cold temperatures, so the drone is packed with a special gel to keep them cool.https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/4864629/embed

But is drone delivery actually that helpful? Researchers say yes, in certain situations. 

Drones could help transport vaccines to places that are hard to reach by delivery trucks. In fact, the technology is already being widely used by Pfizer to ship vaccines in Ghana. 

And here in the U.S., drones could help lighten the load for delivery drivers. Saving a few trips with this technology could go a long way as companies face staffing shortages and a growing mountain of online deliveries. 

RELATED: Atrium Health sees more than 1,000% increase in COVID-19 patients in the Carolinas

Still, it could be a while before we see drones take over the vaccine rollout. Right now Atrium is only operating one drone within a one-mile radius in Winston-Salem. 

But the technology is looking promising for fighting disease in the future.

Related Articles

  • Atrium Health sees more than 1,000% increase in COVID-19 patients in the Carolinas
  • Cabarrus County sees 200% spike in COVID-19 cases in last 2 weeks
  • 100,000 more COVID deaths by Dec. 1 unless US changes its ways
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