Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced, on Wednesday, that there is provision for vaccination services against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at home for certain cases.
The new service targets citizens who suffer from diseases that reduce their mobility, in order to facilitate their vaccination. It comes as part of the state’s plan to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and focus attention on the health of citizens.
According to a ministry statement, requests from citizens with reduced mobility to receive the vaccine at home are received via the hotline (15335). They first have to register on the ministry’s website to receive the vaccine, and will receive a text message with the vaccination date.
Those who are able to benefit from the service are those with paraplegia, quadriplegia, polio, or Parkinson’s, as well as patients with arthropathy and who are unable to move.
Additionally, other beneficiaries are: those patients with neurological diseases that affect movement; those who suffer from pelvic and lower extremity fractures or amputations of the lower extremities; as well as patients with muscular dystrophy and spinal cord atrophy, multiple sclerosis (MS), and myasthenia.
The home vaccination programme is being provided by well-trained medical teams, with the necessary logistical support given for the process. This includes medical teams having cold boxes to preserve the vaccines, informed consent forms, a follow-up card to obtain the second dose, as well as blood pressure and glucose meters.
Moreover, two ambulances are equipped in each governorate to transport medical teams to the homes of citizens. The Ministry of Health and Population has allocated 27 centres as the main starting points for providing vaccination services at homes for those with reduced mobility.
People with reduced mobility due to old age or chronic diseases can contact Egypt’s ambulance service, on (123), to request an ambulance to take them to the nearest centre for vaccination.