Announced and commenced in late March, Operation Vector has seen as many as 200 military personnel deployed to a staging area at the Thompson Airport with the goal of helping First Nations deliver 100,000 vaccinations in 100 days. Equipment supporting the mission includes a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, up to two Chinook and two Twin Otter helicopters and other military vehicles.
Duties performed by Canadian Armed Forces members include co-ordinating the delivery of supplies, administering vaccines to patients and transporting community members to and from clinics where required
Prior to Operation Vector, the armed forces assisted more than 50 northern and Indigenous communities to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, providing assistance at Rod McGillivary Memorial Care Home in The Pas, as well to Shamattawa First Nation, Pauingassi First Nation, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Red Sucker Lake, Garden Hill First Nation, Cross Lake and Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in Manitoba. This assistance has included contributions from the Canadian Rangers, who serve in more than 200 communities across Canada.