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A government initiative launched on July 7 aims to boost vaccination take-up rates among seniors in the heartlands.

Mobile vaccination teams are being deployed to five estates where older citizens live, starting with Anchorvale, a release by the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced.

They will be housed in Community Clubs/Centres (CCs) that are not already being used as Vaccination Centres, or at Residents’ Committee centres at residential blocks.

Currently, about seven in 10 seniors who are 70 and above have completed at least their first dose.

It is "critical" for seniors to be vaccinated as they are the most most vulnerable group, and are at higher risk of becoming dangerously ill if infected with Covid-19, MOH added.

Here's the deployment schedule for the first dose:

Each team will stay for a few days to a week, before moving to the next location.

They will subsequently return to the original locations to administer the second dose.

Intensifying outreach

The ministry is also using various other methods to intensify outreach among seniors.

This includes calling on primary care providers, such as private general practitioners and polyclinics, to persuade seniors who are regular patients to go for their vaccinations.

The number of Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) providing Covid-19 vaccinations will also be expanded, starting with Bedok, Bukit Merah, Hougang and Tampines in the coming weeks.

Additionally, staff and volunteers from the PA and AIC’s outreach arm, Silver Generation Office (SGO) plan to build on ground outreach efforts through house visits and engagement dialogues.

These aim to address any queries or concerns the seniors might have regarding the vaccination exercise.

For those who are homebound, the vaccination can be arranged to take place at home.

As of July 13, Singapore has administered approximately 6.4 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme, covering slightly over four million individuals.

Top image via Ministry of Health/Facebook