SINGAPORE - Last Thursday (Aug 5), the bare void deck at Block 132 Lorong Ah Soo was transformed in about an hour into a mobile vaccination site. The next day, it was ready to administer vaccine doses to residents.

A mobile vaccination team was stationed to be there until Sunday, before returning a few weeks later to administer second doses.

Healthway Medical Group runs the centre.

Dr Ng Yew Yee, head of its mobile division, told The Sunday Times that unlike at a vaccination centre, which has refrigerators on site, a mobile vaccination team has to maintain the cold-chain handling of the vaccines by using cold boxes.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which was used at Block 132, has to be stored at temperatures between 2 deg C and 8 deg C.

Dr Ng said his team conducts a check of the mobile vaccination site several days before it is set up.

This is to ensure a smooth flow of people getting their shots through the registration, screening, vaccination, and observation stations.

Dr Faizal Kassim, medical director of Fullerton Health's primary care division, which has three mobile vaccination teams that have gone to residential areas such as Whampoa, Marsiling and Anchorvale, said items that need to be transported to the site include laptops for registration and data entry, partition boards for privacy, and chairs and tables.

A spokesman for Sata Commhealth, which has two mobile vaccination teams, said it works with grassroots and community partners to ensure those using mobility aids can access the mobile vaccination site safely.

Its doctors and nurses are trained in basic cardiac life support, and medication for allergic or anaphylactic reactions are on standby, its spokesman added.

Healthway Medical Group's Dr Ng said: "It is a lot easier for (seniors) to be able to come down from their (homes) to a place that can provide vaccination in the vicinity.

"And if there are any members of the public that walk past, we have the bandwidth to address their concerns."