The small remote Ascension Island in the South Atlantic could ‘become the first island to be completely vaccinated against Covid-19’, the British army said on Friday.
The island – a British overseas territory – has a population of just over 800 inhabitants.
At least 1,950 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine arrived at Ascension earlier this week on a special support flight by the Royal Air Force.
Staff at Georgetown Hospital on the island began administering the vaccine, and the first people to be vaccinated were hospital staffer Sylvia Isaac and her husband Mervyn.
In a statement, Ms. Isaac said: “I feel very privileged to be able to receive this vaccine,” and that the “vaccination itself was quick and painless.”
“This vaccine will hopefully protect us from the worst effects of COVID-19, and also help protect family, friends and the rest of the community,” she said.
Given the number of residents predicted by the Ascension Island government, “the first doses will be offered to everyone by the end of next week.”
Government Philip Rushbrook of Ascension said: “I am delighted that I am currently on Ascension to see first-hand the arrival and distribution of the vaccines.”
“I would like to thank everyone who was involved in making this happen.” And says the delivery of the vaccines, “represents the culmination of a lot of hard work in various British government departments, the RAF and within the government of Ascension Island.”
Royal Air Force Flight Officer George Cox, Commanding Cargo Officer, said: “Places like Ascension Island are very difficult to reach.”
The vaccines arrived with an A400M Atlas cargo plane, as the “RAF could reach remote locations to which commercial aircraft could not necessarily gain access,” Cox said.
Where is the Ascension? A volcanic island of 33 square kilometers, Ascension, is about 1000 kilometers off the coast of Africa and 1400 kilometers from Brazil. Their nearest neighbors are on the island of St. Helena, 700 kilometers north.
Ascension Island is part of the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha and has its own Constitution which is self-governing and makes its own laws.