Zipline, a drone-based medical supply delivery company, has partnered with UPS and the government of Ghana to conduct drone-based deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines to health centers. The main purpose of the operation is to make the vaccine accessible in rural areas and health facilities lacking cold storage, given the deliveries are made on-demand. 

Zipline started its operations in Ghana to make medical deliveries using drones in April 2019. Since then, its operations have expanded to cover half of the country’s population, with expansion plans to reach the entire country by the end of the year. 

The news comes just three weeks after Zipline announced a partnership with Nigeria’s Kaduna state to begin deliveries of medications, blood products, and Covid-19 and other vaccines within the state. At that time, the company also announced that it is in negotiations with a Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer to conduct drone-based vaccine deliveries in Zipline’s other markets. 

Zipline primarily operates in Rwanda, where it delivers medical supplies to remote health facilities. It also has operations in Ghana, Nigeria, India, and the Philippines. Additionally, Zipline has run pilot operations in North Carolina since 2019 in partnership with companies including Novant Health and Walmart. Overall, the company has completed more than 100,000 commercial deliveries to date (mostly in Africa), making it one of the most advanced startups in the drone delivery space.