Two thousand doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were delivered to Ascension Island from Brize Norton
Credit: Xander Halliwell, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
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As far as military operations go, it couldn’t have had a worse start.
The RAF had set itself the challenge of completing a world first by making Ascension Island, a British overseas territory, the first island to be fully vaccinated in one hit.
But with just 72 hours to transport the precious cargo containing 2,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from Brize Norton to the remote island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the RAF’s A400M Atlas aircraft failed to start.
The multifunctional plane was chosen for the mission – which is part of Operation Broadshare, the British military operation to fight the pandemic overseas – because of its lift capacity and experience of operating tactical landing zones, navigating short strips and conducting air drops.
Wing Commander Lee Roberts, Officer Commanding 70 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton, who oversaw the flight, told The Telegraph on Monday: “The package we are taking down today should be sufficient vaccines to target everybody on the island, so I guess, there you go, we’ve got a world’s first.”
“This is a unique opportunity,” he added. “The guys are really proud, they are buzzing. You could just call it another logistical move but it’s more than that due to the vital strategic importance to the Government.”
The RAF’s A400M Atlas aircraft failed to start after being loaded in the hangar at RAF Brize Norton
Credit: Daniel Harison Crown/MoD
Wg Cdr Roberts said the purpose of bringing the vaccine to Ascension Island, which sits midway between central South America and central Africa, was a case of “staying ahead of the game”.
“The island is Covid-free and let’s try and keep it that way,” he said.
However, after crew on the ground were unable to sort the problem with one of the engines, cargo had to be unpacked and moved into storage, while passengers disembarked, setting the operation back by a whole 24 hours.
The timing of the vaccine is crucial. Once it has been removed from refrigeration it can only be in transit for a maximum of three days; any longer and it will be spoiled.
Packing the flight to carry the vaccine to Ascension Island was meticulous. The cargo hangar at Brize Norton, typically used for shipping out perishables, medicines and blood stocks to different theatres around the world, was rerolled during the pandemic in order to support the movement of vaccines.
Flying Officer George Cox, who helped prepare the aircraft, said: “We are always agile and mobile in our responses, repurposing all of the equipment we have for defence and that does extend through to the cargo hangar.”
The next morning, with 48 hours left on the clock, military personnel and contractors who work on the island boarded the same aircraft, the precious vaccines strapped down in a crate on pallets covering the floor, and waited to see if there would be a successful take off. There was.
Despite cutting it fine, Operation Broadshare was back under control, until the plane touched down to refuel in Cape Verde, a group of islands off the West coast of Africa and on the Government’s red list, which requires any travellers to quarantine in designated hotels upon arrival in the UK.
After seven hours flying, passengers stayed on board in order to avoid stepping foot on the island and being made to quarantine. However, after a successful refuel there was a problem with the engine once again and rumours started circulating that all on board would be made to vacate the plane and stay overnight in Cape Verde.
Ascension Island was another four and a half hours flight away and time was ticking. Fortunately, the problem was eventually solved and the vaccines, enough for two doses for each of the 900-person population, arrived in Ascension Island late on Tuesday evening, as seen below.
RAF aircraft lands on the tarmac on Ascension Island
Credit: Xander Halliwell, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Ascension Island is a remote British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean
“I absolutely wasn’t worried,” Wing Commander Colin Melvin, Commander of Ascension Island Base, said.
“The way that we planned these things out I never worry that it’s hit and miss. We have a very robust system for when things might not go to plan. There is always back-up plans for aircraft serviceability, delays … it’s well planned and we did have contingency plans.”
Once the cargo containing the vaccines arrived, military personnel sterilised the boxes for handover to the Ascension Island Government. The cargo was then sprayed down with disinfectant, before being handed over to the senior medical officer from the local Georgetown hospital, as part of the rollout process.
Wg Cdr Melvin added that he suspected the mood of the island was the “same as the mood across the nation”.
“Positive anticipation that we can see a way out of what we are in at the moment,” he said. “Getting the vaccine in, that gives us another piece in the armoury to move forward.”
The military’s mission on the island is seen as a strategic asset to deter aggression in the south Atlantic, as well as proving an important hub for the military when moving around the world. It’s also a key refuelling point and acts as a staging hub to move on from when aircrafts fly to the Falklands.
At the time the island was claimed for Britain and garrisoned by the Royal Navy in the 1800s, the capital of the island was named Georgetown, after King George III, who reigned. The local hospital, where vaccinations were distributed, seen below, was also given his name.
A resident received the Covid vaccine on Ascension Island
Credit: Xander Halliwell, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Sylvia Isaac, who works at Georgetown Hospital, was the first person to receive the vaccine.
Ms Isaac said: “I feel very privileged to be able to receive this vaccine and am thankful to the UK Government for making it available to us. This vaccine will hopefully protect us against the worst effects of Covid-19, and also help to protect family, friends and the rest of the community.”
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Councillor Alan H Nicholls, who has lived on Ascension for 15 years, said he was “extremely pleased, very privileged and of course, very thankful, to be the first place in the world to be able to reach 100 per cent vaccination against the coronavirus”.
“Although Ascension Island has continued to remain free of the coronavirus, it was always expected that it was just a matter of time before the virus did enter the island," he added.
“The arrival of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is therefore basically the ‘icing on the cake’, when it comes to protecting the people of this island from the deadly effects of the coronavirus.”
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