Alibaba Group’s logistics arm Cainiao Global has established China’s first cross-border cold chain route with Ethiopian Airlines, ready for the shipment of COVID-19 drugs and vaccines to Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

The route features an ultra-low temperature distribution network and is expected to help distribute coronavirus vaccines to the aforementioned areas, according to a statement Cainiao Global released on Wednesday.

The company said drugs and vaccines could be stored in a controlled temperature environment as low as minus 23 degrees Celsius. Cargos then will be transported from Shenzhen to Africa on a weekly basis and forwarded to other countries via Addis Ababa and Dubai.

As leading drugmakers are close to COVID-19 vaccines, the world will need cold chain logistics to support their distribution on a scale never seen before.

The transportation of much-anticipated vaccines requires unprecedented strict conditions – delivery within a tight time frame, at the right temperatures throughout, and to destinations all over the world. Domestic cold chain equipment manufacturers are working on more tailor-made products to meet new demands.