TWO ships will be dispatched by the East Java provincial government to vaccinate isolated coastal communities against Covid-19.
This was announced by East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Antara news agency reported on Saturday.
"The East Java administration has two ships, which we want to utilise to provide health services for residents living on islands," she said.
They will be focusing on those residing on islands and those who have difficulty of reaching medical facilities that provide the Covid-19 vaccines.
One of the ships belongs to the provincial government and will be operated by the Brawijaya University of Malang, Khofifah said adding the other will be manned personnel from the Airlangga University in Surabaya.
Brawijaya University Rector Professor Nuhfil Hanani said that the university is ready to operate the ship to help provide health services and expedite vaccinations among coastal communities.
"The ship is provided to reach small islands which cannot be reached by land (vehicles). We are ready to carry out our mission," he said.
Based on data from the Communication and Informatics Office of East Java, the province is targeting to vaccinate 31,826,206 residents.
Presently, 12,524,657 residents have received the first dose of the vaccine and 6,666,910 have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.