In Moscow, capital of the Russian Federation, a woman pops out on her lunch break to be vaccinated against influenza. Summing up her experience, she simply says, “It’s convenient! I went out for lunch and I got vaccinated”. Indeed, the mobile station at Tverskaya Station is 30 metres from her place of work and the procedure takes less than 15 minutes.
Vaccination takes place in a specially equipped ambulance parked outside one of the busiest metro stations. Once the work is done, the ambulance is driven back to the hospital. Tents are used as a temporary waiting area, where patients fill out forms and volunteers give information and help with the paperwork. The process is free on presentation of an identity card and no appointment is required.
The mobile influenza vaccination program in Moscow runs in busy locations around the city, chosen for their convenience for the maximum number of people. The vaccination procedure can be completed very rapidly this way, and each mobile station is able to vaccinate up to 500 people daily. However, there are no other differences to the quality or safety of the service compared to what patients would experience in a polyclinic setting.
Convenience is key
In a city of about 12 million people, influenza can easily spread rapidly during the winter months, the mobile vaccination stations help to establish a city-wide immunity. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic when health services are already under strain and it is difficult to distinguish between influenza and COVID-19 from symptoms alone.
Alexey Bezimyanny, Director of the Directorate for the Coordination of the Activities of Medical Organizations at the Moscow Department of Health, explains, “The number of mobile vaccination points increases every year; this year it reached 50 locations. And it is at these mobile stations where the examination takes place and the nursing and medical team works. More than 165 health workers are engaged in the mobile vaccination centers”.
Dr Richard Pebody, leader of the High Threat Pathogen Team at WHO/Europe, says, “This is an inspiring example from the city of Moscow. It is impressive to hear how many people can be safely vaccinated in a short space of time using this approach – just as safely as in a normal clinic. It’s an idea that could be considered by many cities in the WHO European Region, especially as health authorities consider how best to roll out vaccines for COVID-19. It is well known that convenience is an important factor for people when getting immunized for influenza. People are busy and the inconvenience of having to make appointments or take time off work, for example, becomes a barrier to getting vaccinated. The strategy of making the experience as convenient as possible removes that barrier”.
The mobile influenza vaccination campaign in Moscow in 2020 vaccinated more than 400 000 people, making it a significant addition to clinic-based influenza vaccination.