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Shortages and Delays Face Air Freight Industry from China to North America

Shortages and Delays Face Air Freight Industry from China to North America

While the Delta variant of the COVID-19 pandemic is carving its way through the global community, air freight from China to North America is still on the rise as the economy across the world strides towards recovery. But even though the movement of freight is pointed in the right direction, having the transportation to carry it out is another story. Logistics providers are creating new routes to meet this new increase in demand, but it is likely that we may face a shortage of air freight capacity as part of the growing pains of a global recovery.

Let’s take a dive into how the world of air freight is being affected by our current events, especially with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic…

Large Players in Air Freight Are Trying to Make Room

FedEx, one of the major providers in logistics, is in the process of opening four new intercontinental flights from China, and they’re also looking to further improve their existing flights to the European continent as well as to other parts of Asia. This is important because of China’s role in supplying supplies and materials to North America for innumerable businesses. As the global economy continues to recover, Chinese factories will be generating goods and supplies at even greater speeds—but without the planes to fly those goods, the process will stall.

FedEx isn’t the only one trying to increase their transport capacity to meet the rising demand. SF International is also trying to handle the rising demand. But there’s something that all logistics providers are having to deal with: Rising rates and not enough transport capacity. As demand rises against the existing capacity for air freight, rates will only continue to rise, and delays will be more frequent.

Every Disruption Affects Things “Made in China”

With the struggle to find more transport capacity, any and all goods that need to move overseas to reach North America will likely be seeing delays for some time. It goes beyond just having the capacity to fly or ship packages, the rise in rates plays a role in how much can be afforded to be moved at a time. Every component in the process affects the rest. Both air freight and sea-bound freight are being affected by this, with some experiencing rates as high as five-times more than usual because of the rising demand.

The best remedy for this matter will likely be time. Even if more planes or ships were to be built in a matter of weeks, it would also require ports and airports to increase their capacity to accept and unload those freight vehicles. There will be no easy solution to meeting the freight shortages that we’re experiencing, and the supply shortages that are happening consequently.

By Air or Road, Get Your Freight Moving with PSS

While there’s not much that can be done while waiting for your freight to reach North America, you can make sure that your freight makes up for lost time with the swift same day freight delivery and Next Flight Out services of PSS! Ensure that your freight cargo keeps on the move the moment it’s landed and been offloaded. Our bonded freight drivers can have your freight rushed to their destination for the final leg of their journey. Need to have your packages shipped out to a far location? We can also have your packages hurried to the airport to have them loaded onto the Next Flight Out, so that they stay on the move and deliver as swiftly as possible. Give us a call or explore our website to discover how PSS is helping businesses like yours remain on track!

CDC Recommends Immunocompromised Individuals Receive Third Vaccine Dose

CDC Recommends Immunocompromised Individuals Receive Third Vaccine Dose

In the United States, there are roughly 7 million individuals who may be categorized as immunocompromised. For those who were moderately or severely immunocompromised, their immune systems may not have exhibited a sufficient reaction to the original two doses of Pfizer or Moderna when they received it. In reaction to this concern, the Director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, had signed a recommendation for a third vaccine shot for these qualifying individuals.

The purpose of the third shot is to provide the immunocompromised the boost they need to have as much protection as individuals who exhibited proper responses to their two shots. This is especially important with the likes of the Delta variant lurking about now. Unfortunately, all of this only involves the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine recipients. Those who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine shot have not yet been cleared for an additional shot as additional research is needed. But let’s take a closer look into why the immunocompromised may need this crucial third shot…

Low Immune Response Means Less Defense

According to the CDC, while most people are enjoying protection of 90% or higher, immunocompromised individuals have been exhibiting a protection range of 59% to 72%, significantly lower than they should have. That isn’t all, though. Some immunocompromised individuals even exhibited zero immune response after receiving the vaccine, leaving them far more vulnerable to COVID-19 considering their heightened likelihood of getting sick in general.

Looking at the Breakthrough Cases

You may have been noticing the phrase “breakthrough cases” as the COVID-19 pandemic is continually covered—cases that occur to people, even though they were vaccinated. Of this affected group, one study in the US found that 44% of breakthrough cases involved an immunocompromised individual. That’s almost half of those affected, which shows the alarming vulnerability that these individuals are experiencing, even with a vaccine flowing through their veins.

CDC Recommendations for Moving Forward

The CDC has recommended that the additional third shot be received at least 28 days after getting your initial two doses of Pfizer or Moderna. Focus was placed on the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines because it is assumed that the majority of vaccine recipients have received either Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations.

It should be made clear that these additional shots are not the same as the booster shots that everyone else will be getting. For now, booster shots are still being researched and investigated, but it is expected that they will be needed as vaccine protection begins to wear off. However, so far both the FDA and CDC have not found evidence that the booster shot is necessary, but they are keeping a close eye on the numbers to see if this changes as the situation evolves.

Need Temperature-Sensitive Pharmaceuticals Shipped STAT? Call on PSS!

Pharmaceuticals like vaccines require to be kept at proper temperatures to ensure maximum efficacy. A mistake during transit can potentially leave a whole batch spoiled, meaning any number of people could possibly be deprived of a life-saving vaccine. With PSS and our medical courier services on your side, you can depend on our OSHA and HIPAA protocol trained drivers to ensure your sensitive pharmaceuticals are transported and delivered with the utmost speed and care. Keep your medical facilities and labs supplied when you call for the same day delivery services of PSS! We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for whenever you need a medical supply shipment!

From Climate to Infrastructure Woes, Shipping Crisis Affects All

From Climate to Infrastructure Woes, Shipping Crisis Affects All

For 65 years, container shipping has enabled the world’s global supply chain to transport enormous amounts of goods to virtually anywhere in the world by ship. Within every container is the lifeblood of the globalized economy and the supplies to keep whole nations running. But all that shipping infrastructure has been put to the test since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and with climate change becoming a more pressing matter all at the same time, the world of shipping has buckled and taken a stumble.

In order to see how this shipping crisis came about and how it’s affecting us all one must take a look at the links that run through the entire process of what we know as the world supply chain. Any part of it being affected can throw the whole process off, as you’re about to see…

At the Mercy of Climate Change Disasters

The world’s climate is changing, and with it a range of natural disasters that have made clear our unpreparedness for them. Regions such as Western Europe as well as China’s Henan Province have both been severely hit by major flooding, causing immense damage to railways that were key to transporting countless containers of goods and materials to other parts of their respective nations and ultimately to ports for foreign trade. For both domestic and international shipping, this was a major blow to the global supply chain and has created ripple effects that almost everyone will feel as other supply components struggle to pick up after the loss.

These floods not only dealt damage to the shipping infrastructure of those regions, but they also affected the very manufacturers and warehouses that were producing and storing various goods for those areas, delivering an even deeper blow to the region’s part of the domestic and global supply chain. Aside from the cascade affect that these two regional climate disasters, the local areas hit by the floods will be suffering from the cost and time of repairs for most likely months at the least.

When these kinds of disasters strike, it takes a much longer time for ships waiting at port to get and load the containers they need before setting off to deliver them to another port. Which leads to the next challenge that we are facing.

COVID-19 Is Striking at Ports, Delta Continues to Loom

As the Delta Variant proves itself much more virulent, unvaccinated individuals are getting hit harder and faster by the COVID-19 pandemic. Outbreaks occurring at ports are further affecting the supply chain woes as workers are having to quarantine, and ports are introducing restrictions and measures in hopes of holding the pandemic back. The entire situation is leading to a congestion at ports, which in turn leads to a slow down in supplies getting transported to the rest of the world on land.

Physical Infrastructure at Ports Need an Upgrade

The combination of challenges facing our world today have put both a logistical and physical strain on our port infrastructure. Due to increased congestion at ports as matters have slowed, there are around 353 container ships that are left waiting outside of ports across the world—that’s more than double what the previous year had, displaying very clearly how backed up supply chains are, and that means more products and materials that are not reaching the places they need to go.

For some ports in the United States, such as the Port of Los Angeles, it is now taking as long as 12 days for a waiting ship to anchor, unload their cargo containers, and have them distributed out to their respective warehouses, factories, stores and shops, and residences. By having a ship left waiting, that adds to the total time needed to accomplish the job and see people have the things they need.

Make Haste with PSS and Our Speedy Same Day Delivery Services

As soon as your supplies and packages reach land, you’ll likely want to get them as soon as possible, especially considering the delays that they may have undergone. With PSS and our many same day delivery services, you can get your packages and supplies moving straight to their destinations, delivering in just a matter of hours from pickup to a complete delivery. Our rush courier services are available 24/7 for whenever your materials and supplies are ready to be picked up—even if it’s the middle of the night, we’ll have a driver equipped with the appropriate vehicle to get your shipping done fast and proper!