Defence admits sending soldiers on NATO mission to Romania without full vaccination

Spain’s Ministry of Defence admits sending several soldiers on a NATO mission to Romania without full vaccination.

THE Ministry, headed by Margarita Robles, said the protocol was not followed because it was a ‘short mission’.

Apparently, arrangements are being made to have the personnel vaccinated by NATO at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania where six Air Force fighters arrived on Monday, January 25.

They are being joined over the course of the next few days by the rest of the Spanish contingent.

Around 130 soldiers, who will be involved in a NATO eAP (enhanced Air Policing) mission in Romania during February and March, were reportedly not fully vaccinated before deployment “due to the impossibility of being able to supply the second dose on time in Spain”.

The Defence vaccination protocol states that in addition to medical personnel, all those who are going to be deployed in areas of operations, as well as personnel from Operational Units (including commanders) who have a greater risk of contracting Covid-19, must be vaccinated.

But military sources told NIUS the soldiers were not vaccinated because, although “the mission was short,” they will be out of the country for two months, and there were no guarantees of being able to give them the second dose in Spain.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is the one that Defence has adopted, requires injecting the second dose 20 days after the first to achieve complete immunity against the virus.

And Defence argued that the Spanish military could be vaccinated in Romania since they are part of the NATO mission, under the US command.

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