A drive-thru vaccination center was launched in Bali over the weekend, with the program slated to inoculate more than 5,000 people working in the tourism industry, public transportation sector, and ride-hailing services.
The center, located in Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC), is expected to administer 840 daily vaccine shots and scheduled to operate until March 5 for its first run, according to a statement received by Coconuts. The center will then resume operations for a second run between March 13 and 19.
During the launch yesterday, Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the center is collaboration between the government and private sector, as super-app Grab and health platform Good Doctor handled logistics, with his ministry in charge of the vaccines, as well as the doctors and nurses for the program.
“We are confident that the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines in Indonesia can be accelerated through the support and partnership of the private sector,” Budi said.
Bali Governor Wayan Koster, who also attended the launch, expressed hope that this program will help accelerate the recovery of Bali’s decimated tourism industry.
“When the tourism sector is revived, the economy will get back on track and people’s livelihoods can be restored,” he said.
Grab said in the statement that recipients for the first run were chosen by the Bali administration, who are invited through text messages that they have to show to gain entry to the center, as on-the-spot registrations are not allowed. They also claim that this is the first COVID-19 vaccination drive-thru in Southeast Asia.
More vaccination centers in other parts of Indonesia, including Bandung, West Java and South Tangerang, Banten, are scheduled for launch later this month, targeting about 15,000 workers from the public sector and elderly citizens.
Read more news and updates from Bali here.
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