Drones are taking off in the USA and the UK for deliveries of urgently needed medicine to vulnerable or remote communities amid Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, including a pioneering new UPS service.
UPS Flight Forward, a UPS subsidiary, will use drones to deliver prescription medicines from a CVS Health Corporation pharmacy to The Villages, Florida, the US' largest retirement community and home to more than 135,000 residents.
The service, which will use Matternet’s M2 drone system, is set to begin in early May, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
UPS underlined that drone transport offers a fast delivery option for medicines that are time-sensitive, while supporting social-distancing efforts and also providing individuals with a convenient alternative to visiting a pharmacy.
“Our new drone delivery service will help CVS provide safe and efficient deliveries of medicines to this large retirement community, enabling residents to receive medications without leaving their homes,” commented Scott Price, UPS chief strategy and transformation officer. “UPS is committed to playing its part in fighting the spread of Coronavirus, and this is another way we can support our healthcare customers and individuals with innovative solutions.”
UPS and CVS last year announced plans to jointly explore the use of drone delivery. The companies successfully completed their first drone deliveries of medical prescriptions from a CVS pharmacy in Cary, North Carolina, in November 2019.
“Now more than ever, it’s important that our customers have access to their prescriptions,” said Jon Roberts, executive vice president and chief operating officer of CVS Health. “In addition to our in-store pickup, free delivery services and drive through pickup, this drone delivery service provides an innovative method to reach some of our customers.”
The new service in The Villages in central Florida begins in early May under the FAA's Part 107 rules, with authority to operate through the pandemic and explore ongoing needs as they arise after that period. The operation could expand to include deliveries from two additional CVS pharmacies in the area.
The first flights will be less than one half mile and be delivered to a location near the retirement community. Initially, a ground vehicle will complete the delivery to the resident’s door.
Last year, UPS and Matternet initiated an ongoing revenue-generating drone delivery service at WakeMed’s flagship hospital and campus in Raleigh, N.C., completing more than 3,700 flights to date under the FAA’s Part 107 rules.
UPS Flight Forward has been exploring prospects for supporting the healthcare industry’s fight to stop the spread of Coronavirus. Earlier this month, the company announced its participation in tests in Virginia with the US government and partners to determine how unmanned aerial systems can assist medical professionals in their fight to stop the spread of the virus.
In a separate development, the UK government has announced that is bringing forward drone trials delivering medical supplies within the framework of measures to combat COVID-19.
Earlier this year, £8 million of public funding was earmarked for testing drones, and how they might be used for delivering goods in the years and decades ahead, Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, commented in a recent daily coronavirus update.
“Of course, now we have an urgent need, so we’re making use of that testing programme as part of our response to COVID-19. As a result, I have fast-tracked trials to begin next week to carry medical supplies and equipment to St Mary’s Hospital, near Newport on the Isle of Wight (in southern England).”
According to a BBC News report, ferry crossings to the Isle of Wight are currently reduced due to the spread of coronavirus. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can make the crossing to the Isle of Wight in about 10 minutes.
The government expects about four flights per day to be made, depending on the needs of the UK's National Health Service (NHS).
A spokeswoman told the BBC that the first flights would carry personal protective equipment (PPE). However, in future the drone could deliver time-critical supplies such as blood and organs.
The trial will use a petrol-fuelled Windracers Ultra fixed-wing drone, capable of carrying 100kg for up to 1,000km (621 miles). However, initially the drone will not carry its maximum payload.
The Department for Transport said the drone would fly autonomously along a fixed route between Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire and Binstead on the Isle of Wight, the report added. Two safety pilots – one at each airfield – will oversee each flight.
Maggie Oldham, chief executive at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, told Business Insider: "Providing NHS services on an island comes with a number of challenges, so it is fantastic to see the progress being made to support health care on the Isle of Wight through the use of new and innovative technology.
"This work has the potential to significantly improve services for our local community by reducing waiting times for test results and speeding up the transfer of important, possibly life-saving medication.
