Getting a vaccine and a Covid test has been made more accessible with Project MOVE’s prototype bus.

MOVE aims to support the NHS by giving vaccines and tests from a travelling surgery.

The scheme, supported by Oxfordshire County Council, would make getting a vaccine or a test more accessible for those who don’t live close to a vaccine or test centre.

In January, it was estimated that roughly 5.5 million people in England live more than an hour away from their nearest vaccination centre by public transport.

The buses can be deployed directly to education settings for targeted delivery of lateral flow tests to identify asymptomatic cases to help control the virus in schools.

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Layla Moran MP for Oxford West and Abingdon was given a tour of MOVE's bus. She said: “I’m delighted to see such initiative and innovation during the pandemic to find solutions to the problems we are facing.

“It is so important that we are able to provide easy and accessible testing and vaccination to increase participation and take up rates respectively.

“As lockdown eases, the only way we can end this pandemic for good is to make mass testing and vaccination accessible for as many people in our communities as possible. This project could help us achieve that. Thanks to the Project MOVE team for showing me around.”

David Brown, Managing Director of Project MOVE said: “I would like to say a big thank you for the support we have had from our partners in Oxfordshire. We now have orders for 4 buses and 6 vans from across the UK including places like Oxfordshire, Norfolk, the East Riding in Yorkshire and West Birmingham.

“This will make a huge difference. To put that into perspective; each bus treats 180 patients and each van treats 120 patients daily. At max capacity that means 1,620 additional people will have quicker - and easier - access to healthcare every single day. That’s almost 50,000 people per month.”

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