PHILIPPINE Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard J. Gordon reiterated on Sunday the need for a sense of urgency as the death toll from Covid-19 infection rises in Cebu City.
“I call for a sense of urgency. There is a need to adopt an aggressive approach in the timely extraction, isolation and treatment of Covid-positive individuals,” Gordon said citing there are already 398 Covid-related deaths in just a dozen days.
This week, the PRC deployed six medical tents and 300 cadaver bags to its Cebu City Chapter as the city is experiencing a spike in cases.
At the same time, in line with the program to support the National Covid-19 Vaccination Deployment, targeting the population below the poverty line, Gordon said the PRC has also deployed two “Bakuna” (vaccine) buses: one in Lapu-Lapu City and one in Mandaue City in Metro Cebu.
As of August 13, the PRC “Bakuna” buses in Cebu have vaccinated a total of 1,096 individuals against Covid-19 ever since the PRC deployed these buses two months ago.
With the Covid-19 pandemic as a major threat, the adversities have amplified, but despite all these, the Red Cross has been, and will always be at the frontline to serve, especially the most vulnerable, the Senator said.
“Apart from our aggressive vaccination and testing programs, I’ve also instructed the Red Cross to send two food trucks to Cebu,” Gordon said emphasizing that as Cebu was placed under enhanced community quarantine, there are people who are hungry and “the PRC will always be there to help them.”