COVID-19 vaccines transported by Greenville product.

Frontline workers at Prisma Health received the first shipment of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine last week, but to some extent, the shipment was simply returning home to the Upstate.

Greenville is the North American headquarters for Softbox, the British manufacturer of the insulated containers critical to the stability of the Pfizer vaccine.

"I consider this the start to the finish as we move into this process of trying to get enough immunity into the community," Dr. Steve Shelton said as the dry ice-laden Softbox made a triumphant arrival at Prisma Health-Midlands, complete with pom-poms and cheering health care workers. Shelton is an emergency room physician with Prisma Health who spearheaded COVID-19 treatment efforts in the Midlands.

"I know there is a lot of anxiety about this, but I am confident in the FDA in making sure that they have approved an effective vaccine," he said. "I feel like I am honored to be here to receive this and am doing my part to combat this disease."

To remain effective, the vaccine must be shipped at temperatures colder than most of Antarctica, in a box with more layers than a Russian doll. The Softbox includes a top layer or "pod" of dry ice housed on top of five trays of the vaccine, which in turn, nests in a carrying box with a foam lid and temperature gauge. All this is fitted in a cardboard shipping container, according to a Dec. 3 manual from Pfizer.

The vaccine must be stored in an ultra-low temperature freezer long term, but the Softbox Medium ULT Parcel Shipper has been engineered to serve as a temporary storage box if the dry ice is replenished within 24 hours of receiving the box.

With assistance from the U.S. government and state officials, Pfizer laid the groundwork for vaccine distribution from sites in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Pleasant Prairie, Wisc., using a just-in-time system, ensuring that the vaccines were shipped directly to their administration site within one or two days, according to a November Pfizer news release.

The Softbox container is able to maintain the necessary temperatures for up to 10 days if unopened, but to ensure safe transport, Pfizer tracks each shipment 24 hours a day using a GPS-enabled thermal sensor and control tower.

Only this September, researchers were still scrambling to answer how the vaccine once approved could be shipped and stored. Supply chain experts questioned how ultra-low temperature-controlled packaging or TCP manufacturers could match the demand for these...