(VOVWORLD) - "If you don't get the vaccine, the vaccine will come to you." This is the message that the Brussels Municipal Immunization Commission sends to the people of the Jette district on the vaccine bus. Vaccine bus is an initiative of the Belgian capital city to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19.
 (Photo: Huong Giang) |
Esseghem street, Jette district, Brussels, which was quiet, has become more crowded in recent days. The Municipal Immunization Commission (COCOM) organizes a mobile vaccination campaign for local residents. A bus stopped in the middle of the street, near an apartment building, next to the tree arches. Three tarpaulin tents were set up there to welcome and monitor post-injection.
At the entrance, neighborhood staff answered questions from passersby and greeted those in need of vaccination. Anyone 18 years of age or older can come for the inoculation. People over 65 years of age were given priority to check in first. Elderly people who have difficulty walking were immediately assisted with wheelchairs by Red Cross staff.
 (Photo: Huong Giang) |
It is no coincidence that this bus arrived in Esseghem. “We identified neighborhoods with low vaccination rates relative to population density,” said Inge Neven, head of sanitation at COCOM, “The advantage of the bus is that it is more maneuverable and can reach more neighborhoods."
Because Esseghem's vaccination coverage is less than 80% for those 65 and older, Hervé Doyen, mayor of Jette, volunteered to be a pioneer in adopting the vaccine bus program. On Thursday and Friday, from 10am to 5pm, the vaccine bus inoculated 80 to 100 people a day with a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
According to preliminary statistics, one-third of people aged 65 and over, one-third of people aged 41-65 and one-third of people aged under 41, have come and been vaccinated.
For Mr. Frédéric, the vaccination will prevent him from having to take a PCR test and give him freedom of movement. According to him, the vaccine bus is a very good initiative. For others, they come because they fear the Delta variant and believe in the feasibility of the project. They say the initiative is perfect in neighborhoods where people are less tech-savvy, have trouble booking appointments over the Internet, and have trouble commuting to vaccination centers.
Belgium is ranked 2nd in Europe in vaccination speed against SARS COV-2 virus. As of July 7, Belgium vaccinated a total of 38% of the population, of which 4.35 million people were fully vaccinated with 2 doses and 11.5 million people vaccinated at least 1 dose.