Covid: Vaccination of Isle of Man air and sea crews brought forward

The crews are being invited to have the jabs alongside those who work the same shifts

The vaccination of air and sea crews has been fast-tracked following a review by senior public health officials on the Isle of Man.

Jabs are being offered to 200 air, freight and ferry staff who travel to and from the UK, the government said.

It comes after the current cluster of Covid-19 cases was linked to a member of the ferry crew.

Health Minister David Ashford said the move would "reduce the risk of the virus being brought to the island".

'We have always said that our borders are our key defence against the virus," he said.

Vaccinating crew members will "protect individuals from serious illness... and help safeguard our critical national transport links." he added.

Five new cases

Those included in the accelerated roll-out are island-based crew members of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and sea freight vessel operator Mezeron, Loganair staff who work on island air services and the air ambulance crew.

Full PPE is being worn by those administering the jabs and the facility is being deep-cleaned following each session, Mr Ashford said.

Crews already have to self-isolate when they are off duty and are required to wear PPE while travelling between work and home.

Consequently, sessions have been arranged for them at the Douglas vaccination hub in Market Street outside of its normal operating hours.

The first cohort was vaccinated at the hub on Wednesday and further sessions will be based on the crew members' availability.

A further five cases were identified as part of the cluster overnight, bringing the total number to 38.

All of the new cases were already in self-isolation after being in close contact with a person who had the virus, the government said.

There are currently 40 active cases on the Isle of Man, two of which were identified under the border testing regime and are not connected to the cluster.