‘It needs to be in arms, not on shelves’
THIS is the Welshman who will be leading the army’s involvement in rolling out the all-important coronavirus vaccines in the UK.
Brigadier Phil Prosser, commander of the 101 Logistic Brigade, joined Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a press conference on Thursday evening where he outlined the army’s involvement in delivering hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine to those who most need it in the coming weeks.
Confirming that almost 1.5 million people in the UK have received at least one jab, Mr Johnson said “hundreds of thousands” of jabs would be offered each day by January 15.
But he also confirmed the army will be “working hand in glove with the NHS and local councils to set up our vaccine network” and deliver the vital jabs around the UK.
And the man leading the military network helping to distribute the vaccines is none other than a Welshman.
Brigadier Prosser is originally from Llanelli and he trained as a mechanical engineer and studied at Cranfield University before taking an MBA at the Open University.
He enjoys cycling and is reportedly a fan of the Scarlets, his native town’s rugby team.
Speaking alongside Mr Johnson at Thursday’s briefing, Brig Prosser said his team would use “our extensive operational and logistic experience” to deliver vital supplies over the next month.
Saying his day job was to deliver combat supplies to UK forces in times of war, Brigadier Prosser said the military was adamant about the need to “minimise the number of deaths, as quickly and as safely as possible”.
“We aim to deliver the vaccine as soon after it is supplied as possible, not leaving vast quantities in the warehouse – it needs to be in arms, not on shelves,” he said.
He added that the operation would be “unparalleled in its scale and complexity”, but that the army planned to distribute the vaccine as soon as it receives each dose.
It is not the first time Brigadier Prosser’s team has been brought in to help during the pandemic. In March, the unit distributed PPE such as gloves, masks and gowns to NHS hospitals.
And the army’s support is likely to be crucial once more in ensuring a smooth roll-out of the vaccine in the coming weeks.
Boris Johnson outlined the Government’s massvaccination plan on Thursday as it aims to deliver the Covid-19 jab to 15 million people by February 15.
Speaking from 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister said he and the NHS were “truly throwing everything” at the UKwide roll-out.
By the end of the week, he said, there will be over 1,000 GP sites, 223 hospital sites, seven giant vaccination centres and 200 community pharmacies delivering the vaccine. He expects this network to deliver “hundreds of thousands of vaccines per day” and aims to have a centre within at least 10 miles of all people by January 15.
And every care home resident will be offered a coronavirus vaccine by the end of this month, Boris Johnson said.
The target of over 15m people across the UK accounts for the top four at-risk brackets, including frontline care staff and those aged over 70.
These groups account for 88% of all Covid-19-related fatalities, the Prime Minister said.
We aim to deliver the vaccine as soon after it is supplied as possible, not leaving vast quantities in the warehouse - it needs to be in arms, not on shelves Brigadier Phil Prosser