Over 3,000 public transport workers have already received their first dose of vaccines against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through the Department of Transportation's (DOTr) inoculation program.
The workers, who include public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators, are among the 5,000 target beneficiaries under the "TsuperHero Kasangga ng Resbakuna" Vaccination Program.
Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade launched the program last July 31 as part of the department's efforts to protect drivers, conductors, and other transport workers against the threat of COVID-19, especially with the presence of the more transmissible Delta variant.
The DOTr initially converted five buses from the Mega Manila Consortium Corporation (MMCC) as mobile vaccination sites for the program to bring it closer to the beneficiaries.
At least 1,000 transport workers are slated for vaccination every Saturday at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX). This will continue until they meet the target number of beneficiaries under the program, the DOTr chief added.
According to Tugade, the Parañaque City local government unit allocated some 1,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the program. Meanwhile, the remaining 4,000 will be sourced with the help of the Metro Manila Center for Health Development.
Tugade urged other operators to submit a master list containing the names of their drivers and conductors at [email protected] to secure slots for their vaccination.