The mobile vaccination Mobivax team administered 1,993 vaccine doses to homeless people, undocumented migrants and people without access to the regular vaccination system in Brussels between 19 May and 15 September.
The team is by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders - MSF), the Belgian Red Cross, Doctors of the World and Samusocial, who are now pleading for proper follow-up, so the vulnerable people can still have access to vaccination centres and can easily receive the European vaccination certificate.
To reach homeless people and other people without a social security number who are generally difficult to reach, teams of doctors, nurses and cultural mediators went to many areas to meet and talk to these vulnerable population groups to inform them and raise awareness
This proved to be the key to success, according to the Mobivax team.
"In total, the Mobivax team carried out 126 visits in 63 different places, from squats and homeless shelters to day and night centres," Lily Caldwell, team leader of the Mobivax team for MSF, said in a press release.
"In this way, nearly 2,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines were administered on a voluntary basis," she added.
While the establishment of a mobile vaccination team was a quick response to the Covid-19 outbreak, it has become redundant now that the vaccination centres are also open to undocumented migrants.
"It is crucial that authorities continue to invest in removing access barriers to vaccination and offer fair access to vaccination for all," said Nancy Ferroni of the Belgian Red Cross.
The Brussels Times
