As an active ally of the government, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) helped increase access to Covid-19 vaccines by sending a Bakuna Bus on Saturday at Calbayog St. in Barangay Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City.

The Bakuna Bus deployment has led to the inoculation of 492 individuals with the Sinovac vaccine.

“The more people we vaccinate, the faster we can beat the virus. In this way, people can now safely go back to work and their schools, we can open up the economy and help end the Covid-19 pandemic,” PRC Chairman and CEO Senator Richard Gordon said in a news release on Sunday.

Gordon introduced the mobile vaccination clinics in a press conference held at the PRC National Headquarters on June 30.

With the Mobile Vaccination Clinics, the PRC aims to reach out to the A5 group consisting of the population below the poverty line based on the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction.

The humanitarian organization currently has five active Bakuna Buses operating within Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, with more areas targeted in the future.

Mandaluyong Mayor Menchie Abalos expressed gratitude to Gordon and the Red Cross.

During the vaccination, Abalos was joined by her husband, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos, and PRC’s Clinical Services Coordinator Dr. Noel Benardo.

Apart from the Bakuna Bus vaccinations, the Mandaluyong local government unit and PRC Team went house-to-house, providing much-needed vaccinations to bedridden and senior citizens within the community.

All individuals who were vaccinated in their own homes went through thorough screening and consultation before and after the vaccination.

Abalos said the PRC’s Bakuna Bus is a huge help for Mandalenyos as protection and to lessen the spread of the virus. (PNA)