Bringing COVID-19 Vaccination to the Heartlands for Seniors

          The government will be intensifying our outreach to encourage the rest of our seniors to be vaccinated. This is critical as seniors are the most vulnerable group and at higher risk of becoming dangerously ill if infected with COVID-19. With age and possibly underlying health conditions, their immune system is weaker. Without vaccination, they may not be able to fight off the virus. 

2.           Currently about 7 in 10 seniors aged 70 and above have completed at least their first vaccination dose.  To enhance convenience for seniors, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will launch up to 10 mobile vaccination teams to the heartlands. These mobile vaccination teams will be deployed at locations near where many seniors live, such as at selected Community Clubs/Centres (CCs) that are not already being used as Vaccination Centres, or at the Residents’ Committee centres at residential blocks. The mobile vaccination team deployment will be done in phases, and has started with Anchorvale CC on 7 July 2021. It will be progressively deployed at Kallang, Whampoa, Changi Simei and Paya Lebar Kovan CCs in the coming weeks. 

3.           The mobile vaccination teams will be deployed at each location for a few days to a week, before moving to other locations, and returning to the original location to administer the second vaccination dose. This is to ensure that those who had receive the first dose will get their second dose at the same location. 

4.           The deployment location and schedule of the mobile vaccination teams in are as follows:

5.            MOH will also call on our primary care providers, including private general practitioners and polyclinics, to help in this national effort. First, we will expand the number of Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) providing COVID-19 vaccination as part of the national vaccination programme, starting with Bedok, Bukit Merah, Hougang and Tampines in the coming weeks. All primary care providers have also been called on to help persuade seniors who are their regular patients, to go for their COVID-19 vaccination if they have not done so yet.

6.            Staff and volunteers from the PA and AIC’s outreach arm, Silver Generation Office (SGO) will also intensify their ground outreach efforts. They will reach out to the unvaccinated seniors through house visits and engagement dialogues to address any queries or concerns they might have. They will also provide advice on the nearest vaccination locations and assist those who require help in getting to the vaccination centres, or arrange for them to be vaccinated at home if they are homebound.

7.            We strongly urge seniors to be vaccinated by these mobile vaccination teams as they are deployed to a location near to them, to protect themselves, their senior friends and their loved ones. Seniors aged 60 years old and above may also walk into any of the existing Vaccination Centres with their Identity Card to receive their first dose of vaccination, without any prior appointment needed, or visit their doctors at any of the participating PHPCs or polyclinics. Homebound persons can also directly request to receive their vaccination at home, by calling the SGO hotline at 1800-650-6060. To target this service to seniors who really need it, this service will be strictly reserved for those who are homebound.

8.            Vaccination remains a key enabler in our fight against COVID-19. Together, we can help Singapore to re-open safely if we each contribute to achieve a high level of population vaccination coverage. We encourage all who have yet to be vaccinated, to register your interest via vaccine.gov.sg and book your appointment to get vaccinated.  

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
15 JULY 2021