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Spotted: Even once a vaccine for COVID-19 is found, it will take a tremendous amount of effort to manufacture and distribute the vaccine to tens of millions of people in a short time. Waugh Thistleton Architects has developed one possible solution – converting shipping containers into mobile vaccination centres.

The firm has developed a kit that would quickly fit out 6,500 shipping containers as mobile vaccination centres. The containers would each be staffed by two NHS nurses and one administrator and would be moved around the country on the back of lorries. Rather than relying on individuals to make their way to hospitals and doctors’ surgeries, the centres could be parked in car parks, shopping centres and other public areas. 

Waugh Thistleton emphasises that the government should begin planning for mass vaccination now. Its proposal estimates that the fleet could vaccinate the entire population of the UK in around 12 to 16 weeks. It could also simplify the vaccine supply chain by equipping the limited number of mobile centres, rather than every doctors’ surgery, pharmacy and hospital.

The firm explained that it chose shipping containers for the clinics because they, “are the perfect structure for this use. We have a stockpile of them in this country. They are incredibly efficient, robust structures and designed for transportation. Their linear form suits the through-put nature of the process.”

Mobile vaccination centres are just one of a wide number of innovative uses for shipping containers that we have recently spotted at Springwise, including sustainable housing and ICU pods.

Explore more: Health & Wellbeing Innovations | COVID-19 Innovations