VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A drive-through COVID-19 vaccination facility was launched for senior citizens at Surabaya University, Surabaya on Saturday (March 27, 2021). (FOTO ANTARA/Abdul Hakim)

East Java’s first drive-through COVID-19 vaccination service was launched for senior citizens in Surabaya University on Saturday.

“We feel extraordinary pride at the opening of the first drive-through vaccination service in East Java,” said vice president of regional public policy and government relations at Gojek, Gautama Adi Kusuma, at the opening of the drive-through vaccination service in Surabaya on Saturday.

The drive-through service is a collaborative effort between Halodoc and Gojek, supported by Surabaya’s regional administration, Surabaya University, and Husada Utama hospital.

This activity is meant as a long-term support for the government’s efforts towards accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations across the nation, Kusuma remarked.

Surabaya is the fourth venue for the drive-through vaccination service. Jakarta has two such venues and Bogor has one.

Kusuma expressed the hope that the service can be extended to other regions in Indonesia.

“I hope this service can cover all regions and the pandemic can end soon,” he said.At the launch, Surabaya’s regional secretary Hendro Gunawan said the regional administration warmly welcomes such services aimed at accelerating vaccinations in Surabaya.

“All people pay attention to this pandemic. If all stakeholders get involved like this, Insya Allah (God’s will), the pandemic will end and our lives will become normal again,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry’s acting director general for disease control and prevention, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said that the drive-through service is an example of good cooperation between the government and the private sector.

“The initial vaccination started on January 13, 2021. The first stage covered health workers, followed by public service workers. Until today, a total of 10 million people have been vaccinated,” he said.

Though the vaccination program is mainly centered on the community health centers (Puskesmas), vaccination facilities at other venues are also needed, such as colleges, malls, mosques, and so on, Rondonuwu added//ANT