Vice President Leni Robredo’s Vaccine Express initiative has helped fully vaccinate 2,935 people in Quezon City as part of her office’s goal to speed up the government’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
The vice president personally visited the site at the mall parking lot of Robinsons Novaliches despite the inclement weather on Tuesday, September 14.
The Vaccine Express in Quezon City helped inoculate jeepney and tricycle drivers and delivery riders who got their first dose of the vaccine last month.
Although only 2,935 out of the 3,164 who originally got their first dose went on to complete their second dose, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said this is still a big leap for the country’s vaccination program.
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“Malaking bagay ito dahil proteksyon din ito sa araw-araw nilang pagkayod, lalo na sa gitna ng (This is a big thing because the vaccine is their protection in their everyday job, especially in the midst of the) record-high COVID-19 cases na kinakaharap natin ngayon (that we are facing right now),” Robredo’s official Facebook page said.
The vice president piloted the Vaccine Express initiative with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno in Manila and then, brought it to her home province of Camarines Sur. She also partnered with the local government of Pasig City and San Pedro, Laguna.
This week, the vaccination program will also be rolled out in San Fernando, Pampanga, and Capas, Tarlac.
Robredo said this was made possible by her office’s partnership with LGUs.
“So kaya natin iyon nagagawa kasi iyong LGU iyong magpo-provide ng (The reason why we can do that is because the LGU will provide the) vaccine supply. Sa atin lang, tayo iyong nagpo-provide ng mga doktor, nga mga (On our part, we provide the doctors and the) nurses, ng mga (the) medical students,” she earlier said during her radio show.
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Robredo lamented that this is the problem that many LGUs encounter. Although they have the vaccine supply, they do not have enough vaccinators.
The OVP said the Vaccine Express was possible because of the help of their private and public partners under the office’s Angat Buhay program. This includes the various LGUs, as well as the OVP’s long-standing partners— UBE Express, Integrated Waste Management, Inc., Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc., WeTV, Smart Communications, Ramesh Trading Corp., and Equilibrium and Curve Collaborators.
She also thanked the volunteer doctors, nurses, and medical students from various universities and colleges, as well as the members of the 525th Engineering Combat Battalion, 51st Engineer Brigade, of the Philippine Army who are assisting onsite.