Hundreds more military personnel to aid vaccine rollout
HUNDREDS of military personnel are being deployed to support Scotland’s Covid testing and vaccine rollout.
In the largest single deployment north of the Border since the start of the pandemic, 353 Armed Forces personnel will be sent to locations across the country.
This will take the total number supporting the Covid response in Scotland to 466. They will help with running vaccination centres and asymptomatic testing.
The move comes as a vaccine centre set up with support from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards opened its doors only to close them again. The Ravenscraig Sports Centre in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, opened temporarily at the weekend but is only being used as a rebooking clinic for those who need to reschedule appointments.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: ‘The UK Armed Forces have demonstrated their professionalism and resilience throughout this pandemic. They are dedicated to delivering support to the fingertips of these islands and the increase of personnel in Scotland shows our commitment to assist the civil authorities wherever and whenever needed in the fight against Covid-19.’
The military personnel will assist NHS staff at vaccination centres in Dumfries and Galloway and Fife. They include 33 defence medical staff, from across all three services, who will join colleagues already working as part of the Vaccine Quick Reaction Force.
The other 320 new personnel, from regiments based across Scotland, will support the Scottish Government’s programme of Asymptomatic Testing from Monday.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: ‘Our fantastic British Armed Forces have played a key role in the fight against Covid-19 in Scotland – from co-ordinating the emergency response in the early days of the pandemic to setting up testing sites in the summer and assisting with the first vaccination centres. We are grateful for all their efforts to keep us safe and help defeat the virus.’
The nation’s troops have supported Scotland in a range of ways throughout the pandemic. Since March 2020, the UK Armed Forces have provided Scotland with planners, logistics specialists and medical evacuation aircraft, as well as the delivery of a mobile testing unit last summer.
Ravenscraig Sports Centre is capable of delivering 2,000 jabs a day but will only open at weekends or if demand increases.
Dr Mark Russell, leader of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Lanarkshire, said: ‘Ravenscraig was always part of NHS Lanarkshire’s plan for the delivery of the vaccine. This was originally going to be later in the programme. However, we brought forward using the facility on a temporary basis to assist with the national drive to vaccinate people as quickly as possible.
‘It is still part of our plan and will be used when we need the extra capacity.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Monday was record high day for vaccines being delivered, proportionately the highest volume anyway in the UK. We are aware that NHS Lanarkshire is exploring how to increase the capacity of vaccinations taking place at Ravenscraig and will provide them with any support required.’