PH Red Cross continues with 'Bakuna' Bus deployment; vaccinates 2,000 in one day

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has continued its deployment of its Bakuna Buses, Bakuna Centers, and Bakuna Teams to help the local government units in ramping up the vaccination efforts to protect unvaccinated individuals.

PRC said that on Feb. 21, it vaccinated 2,374 individuals in Navotas, Laguna, Tarlac, Pangasinan, General Santos, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, and Surigao del Norte.

Despite the decline of COVID-19 cases in the country, PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sen. Richard Gordon urged the public to get vaccinated or receive additional protection by getting booster shots.

Gordon said that it is imperative to get vaccinated to prevent severe COVID-19 cases and prevent another outbreak like what happened at the start of 2022, where the Department of Health (DOH) was reporting almost 32,000 new cases per day. Since March 2021, when PRC started its vaccination program, the humanitarian organization has already administered 1,020,230 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the 17 Bakuna Buses, 26 Bakuna Centers, and Bakuna teams, to help the different local government units hasten their vaccination efforts and protect the people from the virus. With the commitment to curb COVID-19, deployments of PRC Bakuna Bus continue this week as teams travel to different areas in Metro Manila and Bulacan.

According to the PRC Health Services, this week, the PRC Bakuna Buses will drive to Baclaran Church, Villamor Airbase, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and will also go back to Potrero Malabon, Navotas, Mandaluyong and Marilao, Bulacan in partnership with the e-commerce group, Lazada.

Meanwhile, the PRC has supported the launch of vaccination for minors aged five to 11 years old in Veranza's vaccination center in General SantosCity as they administered primary shots on Feb. 19. Out of the 102 vaccine shots administered by the PRC General Santos Chapter, 70 were primary shots for five to 11-year-olds.

As of Feb. 21, the PRC has administered 1,016,916 doses of vaccines while fully vaccinating 346,857 individuals since launching its vaccination program last March 2021.

"We continue to do what must be done. This is why we go all out in responding to the threat of COVID-19 through our vaccination program as well as through our other initiatives such as our testing and isolation facilities. We remain true to our mission of reaching out to the communities by being always first, always ready, and always there," Gordon said.