A military aircraft containing 3,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has left RAF Brize Norton for the Falkland Islands.
It is a continuation of the Government’s pledge to provide vaccinations to British Overseas Territories including the Falklands.
Vital delivery of 3,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is flown to the Falklands Picture: MOD
Located in the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina, the islands have had just 41 cases of coronavirus and no virus-related deaths.
The plane took off at 1.10am on Monday.
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Group Captain Simon Blackwell said: “Tasks like this are exciting for our teams to support and send out vaccines to overseas territories.
“Being an island, the Falklands can be quite a challenging route to fly to, with tricky weather en route.”
Vital delivery of 3,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is flown to the Falklands from RAF Brize Norton Picture: MOD
The mission needed careful planning and controlled temperatures to ensure a safe delivery.
Flight Lieutenant Anne Scott, Officer Commanding Cargo, highlighted the importance of the environment on board the aircraft.
She said: “We are used to moving medicinal cargo with a different temperature, but we need to maintain this required temperature for the vaccines. The captain maintains that throughout the flight.”
The Falklands has only had 41 cases of the virus.
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Leona Roberts, member of the Falklands Islands Legislative Assembly, welcomed the development in the worldwide fight against Covid-19, saying it was a positive step in protecting the community of just over 3,500 people.
She added: “Although we are 8,000 miles away, we are very much part of the British family.
Vital delivery of 3,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is flown to the Falklands from RAF Brize Norton Picture: MOD
“We are aware of how difficult things are in the UK, so we are extremely grateful to the UK government for supporting us. It’s going to make a huge difference.”
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The Falkland Islands’ government plans to vaccinate the over-50s, those at mid-term risk, and front-line staff including medical workers.
Vital delivery of 3,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is flown to the Falklands from RAF Brize Norton Picture: MOD
A smaller, second batch of the vaccine is expected to arrive in two weeks' time.
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