Fort William man Matthew Phillips (pictured) definitely made sure he was indoors when he rolled up his sleeve for his Covid jab – delivered to him at the SOUTH POLE.
The 39-year-old works as Winter Station Leader at the British Antarctic Survey’s remote Rothera Research Station, where temperatures can plunge as low as -34C.
Matthew was one of 23 team members who had the life-saving Astra Zeneca vaccine flown over 9,000 miles to them by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
It is the furthest south the jabs have been administered.
And Edinburgh-born Matthew said:
“We’re the last Brits to get our Covid vaccine – but there was no way we’d have been rolling our sleeves up outside.
“We might just have got through 205 days of winter and into spring, but the temperature is still around -4C outdoors, so it’s still a bit chilly.
“This isn’t the easiest place in the world to be evacuated to a hospital if there’s an emergency so getting the Covid vaccine will help keep everyone safe over a busy summer.
“People say it’s easier to get someone off of the International Space Station than getting someone out of Antarctica during the winter because when the sea freezes the chances of getting a ship in are slim to none.
“We have a runway here at Rothera, but the winter weather and conditions make it extremely difficult to get a plane in and out.
“We want to do everything we can to keep the station population and the Antarctic Covid-free.”
Antarctica has been Covid-free since Chile was forced to evacuate staff from its base last December after 36 people tested positive.
The UK’s delivery will help keep things that way after an epic 9,000-mile journey which saw the medical supplies flown from RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, to Dakar, Senegal and on to the Falkland Islands.
From there, a tiny Twin Otter plane performed the final leg and was the first aircraft to reach the Rothera research team for 205 days.
Matthew added:
“I believe we are the final British Overseas territory to receive the vaccine.
“We must also represent the most complicated logistical challenge to get jabs in arms.”
Matthew has not been home to Fort William since setting sail from the UK aboard the RRS James Clark Ross boat on November 4 last year – reaching the Rothera outpost on Christmas Eve.
This was the sixth winter the former Edinburgh bar manager, who now lives in Fort William, has spent in Antarctica, having fallen in love with the world’s most southernly continent.
Matthew said:
“I think it’s potentially the extremist environment on the planet, short of throwing yourself into a volcano.
“It’s not as dangerous as it used to be in the days of Scott and Amundsen – but there’s still a real sense of adventure to it.
“The lowest temperature I’ve encountered in my time here at Rothera is -32C.
“The biggest temperature swing I’ve seen here in a 24 hour period is from -28 to +1.
“We don’t see the sun for around two months in winter – most of June and July.
“But the winter sky can be absolutely incredible.
“Polar stratospheric clouds or nacreous clouds are common here.
“The average cloud in the UK is at 15,000ft, whereas these polar stratospheric ones are extremely high up at 60,000ft.
“They are formed by freezing crystals from moisture in the atmosphere.
“They are often lit up on the underside by the sun when the rest of the sky is dark and they are strange to see.
“They were seen in the south of Scotland recent and people thought they were UFOs.”
The hazards faced by Matthew and his colleagues were highlighted when British marine biologist Kirsty Brown was killed after being dragged underwater by a leopard seal in 2003.
But he said:
“If you like wildlife and scenery, this place is almost unbeatable.
“I absolutely love it down here.
“We see a few different types of penguins and seals and in a month or so there is a resident pod of orca that come to this area and we see them almost daily.
“There’s whales as well.
“The Antarctic Treaty rules mean we’re not allowed to go within five metres of the wildlife but quite often penguins approach you out of curiosity and give your boots a peck.
“We have a marine team who carry on doing science during the winter months, including dives.
“They take a chainsaw and cut a hole in the sea ice.
“The water temperature’s about -1C or -2C so the divers are obviously absolutely frozen by the time they get out.
“As soon as they get out of the water, a layer of ice forms over their dry suits so they become quite rigid within a few seconds, so it can be quite comical, but we make sure we get them quickly back inside to somewhere nice and warm.”
The number of scientists based at Rothera reaches 160 over the summer months meaning Winter Station Leader Matthew is busy handling the logistics of keeping the base running, ordering supplies and organising rotas.
The polar explorer admits that his job has made it difficult to find love.
Matthew said:
“I don’t know if I’d describe myself as a loner but I’m certainly comfortable in my own company.
“The first time I came south, I did have a long-term partner, but being down here puts a huge strain on a relationship.
“I think it’s more difficult for the person left behind back in the real world because the perception is that you’re down here having this amazing adventure, whereas the reality is you are behind a desk working most of the time.
“I’ve done six winters now and there’s every chance if I do meet the right person then doing winters like this is not going to be realistic.
“But I’ll carry on until then and see what happens.”
And he laughed:
“I’ve got three older brothers and they’ve all produced grand-children for my mum… but it’s not enough.
“She’s often giving me hassle about settling down, so that’s maybe one reason I come down here.”
Global Health minister Wendy Morton said:
“The transport of vaccines to the ends of the earth shows our commitment to the people who live and work in the UK’s Overseas Territories.
“The Government has supported the territories with vaccines and medical equipment through the pandemic.
“It has been an enormous logistical effort, of which the UK can be proud.”
