NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Yokosuka, Japan, is supporting the federal response to COVID-19 by distributing vaccines and ancillary kits to troops at U.S. Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in an on-going mission that began Feb. 8.
DDYJ workers are taking special steps to store and distribute the -20 degrees Celsius Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and have been trained to properly handle the vaccines and monitor temperatures during transit.
“Vaccines are monitored every three hours by trained personnel who can react to a temperature deviation,” said Navy Lt. j.g. Kevin Cochran, warehousing and configuration change management officer at DDYJ.
After arrival at DDYJ, the vaccines were packaged for trans-shipment to NSF Diego Garcia Feb. 16 through Yokota Air Base, Japan. Yokota AB officials ensured the aircraft used for delivery were cleared for flight with minimal risk of maintenance issues to ensure timely departure and arrival at NSF Diego Garcia.
DDYJ will also ship 500 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine to NSF Diego Garcia this week. The vaccine was recently granted emergency authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and requires only one shot compared to two for the Moderna vaccine. It also eliminates the need for special refrigeration since it can be shipped and stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius.