To reach more people who want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has sent out three buses from the its national headquarters to as mobile vaccination clinics in the Calabarzon (Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal) area.
“Our goal as the active ally of the government, is to vaccinate more people especially now with the ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases,” said PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Richard Gordon in a statement issued Thursday, Aug. 19.
PRC, led by Gordon, remains unstoppable as the country's premiere humanitarian organization as it continues to intensify its vaccination efforts against COVID-19.
“Let’s save our country, our families, and loved ones from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated in our ‘bakuna’ bus,” Gordon said in Filipino. “Together, let us win our war against COVID-19,” he added.
A total of three buses from Victory Liner, one of the largest bus companies operating in the country, have arrived in the three targeted areas in the Calabarzon region including Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas.
PRC Health Services Manager Mark Abrigo explained that each “Bakuna Bus” deployed can vaccinate 300 to 500 individuals a day.
“All the PRC Bakuna Buses per deployment have one physician for screening and monitoring and supervision, one to two vaccinators, one to two volunteers for registration, support volunteers for crowd control, line management, and ambulance team members,” Abrigo said.
PRC noted that as soon as the “Bakuna Bus” arrived in Batangas, the volunteers and staff led by Chapter Administrator Ronald Generoso of the PRC Batangas Chapter already started vaccinating at Barangay Galamay Amo, San Jose, Batangas.
At the end of the run, PRC said that the chapter was able able to jab 60 individuals from A1, A2, and A3 COVID-19 priority groups with Pfizer and Sinovac.
As of Aug. 18, volunteers and staff of PRC have vaccinated a total of 7,171 individuals through the PRC “Bakuna Buses” which are currently deployed in nine areas including Marikina, Mandaluyong, Navotas, Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, and Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City in Cebu.
Moreover, PRC Health Services has also trained more PRC chapter staff and volunteers to be deployed in the three new “PRC Bakuna Buses” this week.
PRC plans to further their COVID-19 vaccination locations not only in Luzon and Visayas but in Mindanao as well.
To register for vaccination, interested individuals may call 1158.
Apart from the government-provided the vaccine, the PRC shoulders all other costs under the COVID-19 Vaccination Program of the government including but not limited to, syringes, mobilization, and vaccinator allowances.