24 People Have Received Their COVID-19 Vaccines at Home Under MOH’s Ongoing Pilot Project

It seems like you can get anything delivered to the comfort of your home nowadays. Briyani, ramen, ten tubs of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, half-melted acai while you absentmindedly plough through your seventh Goody Feed article of the day… 

And now, thanks to a pilot project by the Ministry of Health (MOH), COVID-19 vaccines!

Pilot Project for Home Vaccination Teams Underway

Unfortunately, this isn’t a service you can request as long as you are willing to pay the strangely inflated prices on Deliveroo.

Instead, it is part of the vaccination campaign’s efforts to reach those who are unable to leave their houses to be vaccinated at designated centres, according to The Straits Times. 

Vaccinations at home will be administered by a home vaccination team, consisting of a doctor and a nurse, who will carry the medical supplies necessary for the vaccine to be safely used. 

So far, 24 individuals have received the service under the pilot project since its commencement on 10 May. 

Those eligible can liaise with their care service providers to arrange for a home vaccination, or appeal for the service at the MOH hotline on 1800-333-9999. 

Those who can leave their homes, however, are still “strongly encouraged” to receive their vaccines at vaccination centres instread, given the logistic difficulties of staffing and equipping vaccination teams.

This is distinct from mobile vaccination teams, which are larger delegations of healthcare professionals deployed at community centres. 

27,019 people have already been vaccinated under this scheme, though the convenience it provides remains inadequate for seniors who are unable to leave their homes.

Julian Koo, chief executive of home and mobile health company Jaga-Me, welcomed the addition of home vaccination options as “an opportunity to go through with a fine-tooth comb, to help these patients who may have otherwise fallen through the cracks”, 

This is crucial given that those home-bound are more likely to be immunocompromised and at risk of serious complications from COVID-19 if infected.

The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) will also be conducting webinars to help home-care providers assess the eligibility of their clients and encourage those who can to register, given that many seniors may erroneously exclude themselves from vaccinations owing to pre-existing conditions that do not in fact disqualify them.

By the middle of May, about 71% of eligible senior citizens aged 60 and above have either been vaccinated or made arrangements to be, although supply constraints have slightly slowed the pace of the vaccine roll-out.

Feature Image: Miriam Doerr Martin Frommherz / Shutterstock.com