Communications of the ACM
Ghana Using Drones to Deliver Coronavirus Vaccines to Rural Communities
Ghana has become the first country to launch a nationwide program to deliver coronavirus vaccines with drones.
Credit: Zipline
San Francisco-based startup Zipline is delivering coronavirus vaccines to rural communities in Ghana via autonomous drones as part of the World Health Organization's COVAX program.
The Ghanaian service started March 2 with Zipline's deployment of 4,500 doses across the Ashanti Region in 36 separate flights, in partnership with Ghana's government and United Parcel Service.
Each six-foot-long drone's flight is monitored from its distribution center, and the aircraft can fly nearly 100 miles round-trip on a single battery charge while conveying four pounds of cargo.
Orders can be scheduled ahead or placed on demand for just-in-time delivery, and drones can be dispatched within seven minutes of an order's receipt.
The drones drop their cargo to destination sites via parachute.
From Business Insider
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