‘Vaccines on wheels:’ a real shot in the arm

A VACCINATION vehicle carrying 800 doses rolled into a spacious street garden in western Beijing on Saturday. Zhou Zhijian, a 96-year-old resident accompanied by his son, arrived at the site in a wheelchair for a shot.

“Vaccination is an obligation of we citizens,” Zhou said.

Wang Donghui, who is in charge of the mobile vaccination site, said there were nine communities with 70,000 residents living near the street garden. For some elderly people like Zhou, the vehicle shortens the distance from their home to the vaccination stations.

Vaccination is the most effective means of preventing and controlling COVID-19. The mobile inoculation vehicles, which can vaccinate more than 150 doses in one hour, have ensured that vaccination in the country is both easy and efficient.

“Getting vaccinated in vehicles can reduce the public’s concerns over cross-infection and help promote COVID-19 vaccination with high efficiency,” said Cheng Hua, a product manager of Chinese automotive firm Foton Motor Group, which has a daily production capacity of 12 such vaccination vehicles.

Apart from office workers, the mobile vaccine clinics can reach people such as the elderly, the handicapped and those who do not have access to transportation.

The company will provide vaccination vehicles for Beijing and neighboring Hebei Province starting this month.

Chinese cities including Wuhan, Chongqing and Wuxi have deployed the vaccination vehicles in campuses, construction sites and commercial areas, to accelerate the country’s inoculation pace.

The National Health Commission says more than 167 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered as of yesterday.

China aims to vaccinate 70 percent to 80 percent of people by the middle of next year, said Gao Fu, head of the CDC.