COVID Vaccine Rollout Begins For British Troops In Germany

The coronavirus vaccine rollout has begun for British forces and UK-based civilian personnel in Germany.

COVID-19 vaccinations have been taking place at the Sennelager Medical Centre, with the initial phase focusing on older members of the community.

The majority of the British military presence in Germany is situated in Paderborn, with other elements in Mönchengladbach and Wulfen.

Colonel Bruce Baker, Senior Medical Officer at the centre, said the first phase would cover everyone aged over 50, as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

He said: "We've had about 200 people in Sennelager all getting their first dose this week and if there's any surplus then we're going to go down to Group Two, who are the 45 to 50 and then 40 to 45-year-olds.” 

The vaccine rollout for British Forces Cyprus began earlier this month while in the UK, the Armed Forces' response to COVID-19 has been the biggest homeland military operation in peacetime.

Latest figures show the number of Armed Forces personnel who tested positive for coronavirus through the UK national testing programme increased by more 30% in four weeks.

As of 19 February this year, 7,309 UK military personnel had received positive test results since the outbreak began, up 1,754 since 22 January 2021 – a 31.5% increase.