BIÑAN CITY, Laguna – The local government unit deploys a vaccination boat to inoculate residents near Laguna de Bay against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
On Oct. 6, the floating vaccination station first set sail in the coastal Barangay of Malaban, parts of which were still flooded from previous typhoons that brought rains over the last few weeks.
"Nakikita namin na nahihirapan ang mga tao na malapit sa baybayin ng Laguna Lake at mga bahang lugar para makapunta sa mga vaccination sites (We found that residents near Laguna Lake and those from flooded areas had difficulty going to vaccination sites," City Health Office Disease Surveillance Officer Hans Kristian O. Lorenzana told the Manila Bulletin.
The local government unit (LGU) has an initiative called Vax on Wheels, under which mobile vaccination stations are set up in covered courts, parish churches and village function halls to expedite the vaccine rollout.
"Kaya lang mahirap naman kung Vax on Wheels kasi sila ung mga lugar na lubog sa baha at tubig kaya mga balsa at bangka ang ginamit namin (However, it would be hard to take Vax on Wheels in areas submerged in water, so we used rafts and boats)," Lorenzana added.
The LGU also distributed rice and grocery items to encourage residents to get vaccinated.
As of Oct. 15, the city government has administered 173,607 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, with 38.5 percent of their target population having received their first dose and 30.45 percent having received their second dose.