THE Philippine Red Cross (PRC) received additional doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines from the government on June 23, allowing to honor its commitment to aid efforts in vaccinating people in priority groups as well as working individuals.
The PRC established six Bakuna Centers in Metro Manila at the PRC molecular laboratory in Mandaluyong; PRC Port Area; Kabaka Compound in Pandacan, Manila; San Lorenzo, Makati; Arcovia City, Pasig and the PRC Pasay City Chapter. PRC Bakuna Centers have been lauded for being efficient, uncrowded, and faithful to health protocols to circumvent infection.
“The Philippine Red Cross is committed to help the government reinforce our defense against Covid-19 by vaccinating our people. The Red Cross has the manpower, the resources, and the compassion to reach out to our people and prevent them from getting sick,” PRC Chairman and CEO, Sen. Richard Gordon emphasized.
The Red Cross is not new to vaccination as it also provided substantial support in past campaigns against polio and measles-rubella, tapping its pool of volunteers and partner institutions like the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and top medical universities in the country.
Recently, Gordon also proposed that relatives and household members of frontline workers be prioritized for vaccination, which was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in a letter signed by Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. on June 18.
“Our healthcare and economic workers face the danger of being exposed to the virus every day and are even more burdened with worry that they might bring the virus to their homes. Prioritizing their household members will allay their fears and boost their morale, knowing that they can return to their families safely after working in the frontlines,” Gordon said in an interview.
10-M jabs in 3 months
Meanwhile, given the daily average of vaccinations conducted in the metropolis, Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday expressed confidence that the remaining 10.3-million jabs can be attained in three months or less to achieve population protection against Covid-19.
Abalos said, “targeting at least 50 percent of Metro Manila’s 14 million population, around 14 million jabs would be needed; and so far, with the 3.6 million jabs done as of June 22, we would be looking at around 10.3 million jabs remaining. Given our daily average jabs, we will be having at least 3.4 million jabs per month. Therefore, the remaining 10.3 million jabs can be attained in three months or less.”
As of June 22, around 3.6 million of Metro Manila’s population of about 14 million have been vaccinated—2.8 million received the first dose while 877,958 received the second dose, said Abalos, citing data based on daily reports of NCR local government units. Metro Manila posts an average of 114,000 jabs a day at present.
He cited the key role the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) plays in achieving this important goal, particularly in ensuring the steady supply of vaccines.
“The numbers are encouraging; the pace of the vaccination is increasing. The national government, through NVOC and led by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., ensures the steady supply of Covid-19 vaccines in Metro Manila,” Abalos said.
“If the jab numbers are sustained and further increase, with a steady supply of vaccines, we can have majority of Metro Manila’s population protected by end of September this year or hopefully earlier,” said Abalos. This includes the IATF priority groups such as A1, A2 and A3 and other identified sectors of our society.
He enjoined all Metro Manila residents to have themselves inoculated.
“Months after the launch of the mass vaccination campaign, more and more people are willing to get vaccinated,” he said, and praised the unrelenting efforts of the 17 Metro Manila LGUs in ramping up their vaccination capacities.