An 89-year-old passenger ship, out of commission because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was re-purposed as a COVID-19 vaccination centre for thousands of residents from cities on Lake Constance.
According to Reuters, the 500-passenger MS Thurgau normally carries tourists and commuters between German and Swiss cities on Europe’s third-largest lake.
Howeve, in coming weeks it will serve as a floating inoculation hub for northern Swiss towns Romanshorn, Arbon and Kreuzlingen. Regional officials emphasized the ship’s practicality since it can sail from harbor to harbor, earning it the nickname “vaccine vaporetto” with some locals.
Aboard MS Thurgau there are two shot stations able of vaccinating 24 people per hour, or 168 people daily during a seven-hour shift. As more vaccines arrive in Switzerland, stations can be expanded to eight.
For the first week, the ship will be in Romanshorn, followed by two weeks in larger Kreuzlingen. After another week in nearby Arbon, the vessel will return to Romanshorn, so those inoculated earlier can get a required booster shot.
Only Moderna shots are being used onboard the MS Thurgau, as the 10-dose vials are slightly easier to prepare in the ship’s cramped quarters, according to medics.
The initial round of shots aboard the MS Thurgau is planned for the next 12 weeks, notes Adriano Mari, leader for all of Thurgau’s vaccination centres run by private hospital group Hirslanden, a unit of South Africa-based Mediclinic.
However, he hopes that an extension beyond this maiden voyage won’t be necessary.
