As part of its effort to ramp up the national immunization program, China has deployed mobile vaccination vehicles to accelerate the inoculation pace in order to reach the target of immunizing 40 percent its population from COVID-19 by the end of this June.
"As the most effective means of preventing and controlling COVID-19, inoculation of vaccines is regarded as a priority for everyone who is hoped to be proactive," said He Qinghua, deputy director at China's National Health Commission during a press conference on March 28.
The mobile vaccination vehicle looks like a regular bus but is a new mobile facility created to meet the industry standards for COVID-19 vaccination, which can save people's time and improves the inoculation efficiency.
In Shanghai, the mobile vaccination vehicle is equipped with vaccination stations, medical refrigerators, and first-aid facilities to prevent sudden adverse reactions of the recipients. The refrigerators can store 2,400 vaccine doses. If all three vaccination stations work simultaneously, eight hours a day, 1,000 people can get vaccinated daily.
The inoculation information can be traced throughout the whole process, and the regulatory authorities can monitor it remotely to ensure the quality and safety of inoculation.
In Wuhan, five mobile vehicles have been put into use by local enterprises, public institutions and colleges. A mobile vaccination truck, which has been put in use near the Wuhan Telecom Stadium has vaccinated 1,200 employees since Monday morning.
Two smart refrigerators storing the COVID-19 vaccine have been deployed at the entrance of the bus beside the inoculation table. The refrigerator, connected to Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention's cold chain monitoring network, will send out real-time data and alert if the storage temperature falls out of the standard range of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.
Mobile vaccination vehicles also help facilitate the vaccination of people living in remote mountainous areas. In the Ouhai District of Wenzhou, a 10-meter-long mobile vaccination bus brings the service to people's doorstep.
The souped-up bus can be divided into eight functional zones for health screening, waiting, inquiries about health consultation, registration, cold chain storage, inoculation, observation and an area for abnormal vaccination reactions.
Cheng Hua, product manager of Foton's bus department, the company that designed the vehicle, said in an interview with Beijing Daily that it was not that easy to develop, but "receiving vaccines in the vehicle can reduce people's concerns over cross-infection and help promote a large-scale vaccination campaign."
He added that the company has the capacity to produce 12 such vehicles per day once they are put into use in Beijing and Hebei Province in April.