Insurance industry collaborating to protect vaccine supply chain
Aon will donate all revenue from the 2021 program to charities working to lessen the pandemic’s human and economic impact.
Aon plc, as part of a broader coalition comprised of insurance players and adjacent industries, is introducing a supply chain protection program for COVID-19 vaccines that will deploy sensor data and analytics to more effectively manage risks while mitigating potential losses of the medicine.
The program will provide transparent marine cargo coverage through the use of sensor data and analytics. It will also ensure timely payments for doses subject to temperatures outside agreed-upon ranges during transport and storage. Real-time reporting of temperature deviations will help maximize the number of doses available to the public, Aon reported.
The program will be open to any qualified parties in the vaccine supply chain, including pharmaceutical suppliers, government bodies, transportation and logistic providers, distributors, health systems and inoculation centers.
The company reports it will donate all revenues earned from the program to charities dedicated to stymieing the global human and economic toll of the pandemic. Other insurance sector companies involved include Munich Re, Chubb Europe Group, AIG, InsurTech company Parsyl and Ascot Group.
“Rather than accept the so-called new normal, at Aon, we continue to strive toward a new better,” Greg Case, Aon CEO, said in a release. “We will continue to push the envelope to create innovative solutions that propel our economy and society forward. Providing supply-chain protection for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines around the world is an important step in that process.”
Deploying tech for real-time monitoring
In further support of the mission, ChronosCloud, MasterCard and Sensitech have agreed to donate access to certain platforms, blockchain technology and devices.
“Aon has been working on client solutions utilizing sensor technology in the supply chain for several years,” Lee Meyrick, CEO of global marine, commercial risk solutions at Aon, said in a release. “Recognizing the concerns faced with the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, we explored the development of a new solution to provide financial protection to the companies involved in the distribution process. Working with leaders in the industry, we were quickly able to build out a group of like-minded insurers that are willing to underwrite the risks using verifiable and effective sensor technologies.”
Although the use of the Internet of Things and sensor devices won’t be a requirement of the program, Aon reported it will make those products and services available on a complimentary basis throughout 2021 for companies working to improve the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
“It’s critical that we deliver potent COVID-19 vaccines to everyone, everywhere. To do that, we must collect data to understand what happens to these sensitive shipments as they make their journey from factory to syringe. This insurance solution will help complement existing industry efforts focused on developing countries by providing protection for vaccine supply chains in additional markets. We’re proud to be enabling another insurance solution and contributing to effective vaccine distribution around the world,” Ben Hubbard, CEO of Parsyl, said in a release.
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