The historic MS Thurgau cruise ship in Switzerland, which has been out of commission for the last few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has a new lease on life.
The 500-passenger cruise ship has been repurposed into a floating vaccine distribution center, according to Reuters.
The MS Thurgau has been turned into a floating vaccine centre.
MS Thurgau spent most of its life ferrying tourists and commuters between German and Swiss cities on Lake Constance but was forced to stop operations after the COVID-19 pandemic brought tourism to a grinding halt. The cruise ship now acts as a vaccine center capable of vaccinating 24 people per hour, or up to 168 people during a regular seven-hour shift.
While speaking to Reuters, Switzerland’s Health Minister Alain Berset said, ‘I’ve heard of a fondue ship, and a spaghetti ship, but this is my first shot ship.’
MS Thurgau will start its vaccination campaign in the small town of Romanshorn before making its way along the length of Lake Constance, stopping in the towns of Kreuzlingen and Arbon before making its way back to the starting point, where it will deliver the second round of vaccine shots. The unique program is scheduled to run for 12 weeks.
According to Reuters, staff aboard the MS Thurgau will only use the Moderna vaccines, as the 10-dose vials are much easier to prepare in the ship’s cramped quarters.
‘We wanted to figure out just how we could vaccinate as many people as possible, with as few vaccination centres as were necessary,’ said Urs Martin, a Thurgau elected official to Reuters.
Picture: Twitter/@Kanton_Thurgau
