UPS will make dry ice, offer freezers for vaccine distribution

United Parcel Service Inc. has set up its own dry ice production and will provide portable, super-cold freezers to its health care customers as the courier prepares for the massive roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines.

UPS can make as much as 1,200 pounds (540 kilograms) of dry ice per hour near its Worldport air hub in Louisville, Ky., and can ship it the next day to U.S. and Canadian hospitals and clinics, according to a statement Tuesday. UPS will also source dry ice from third-party makers near air hubs in Dallas and Ontario, Calif.

In addition, UPS is offering to deliver and hook up the small freezers, made by partner Stirling Ultracold, to keep vaccines from spoiling for care providers without permanent facilities. The portable freezers can maintain temperatures as low as -80 C, UPS said.

The enhanced capabilities underscore the investments parcel companies have been making in freezers and other cold-chain capabilities as they gear up to distribute vaccines that are nearing final regulatory approval.