MOBILE VACCINATION. A Red Cross volunteer (seated right) prepares to administer the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine to a resident of General Santos City during the first stop of the mobile vaccination program last Saturday at the city’s main public market in Barangay Dadiangas South. The city government deployed a converted “bakuna bus” for the vaccination activity. (Photo courtesy of the city government)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The city government has launched its mobile vaccination program to cover more residents in the ongoing mass inoculation against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Lawyer Arnel Zapatos, the city administrator, said on Monday they have started deploying the local government’s newly converted “bakuna bus” to facilitate the conduct of the mobile vaccination activities, with plans to expand the program by using ambulances as well.
He said the first stop last weekend was the city's central public market in Barangay Dadiangas South that catered to dozens of market vendors and other residents.
“We have scheduled the mobile vaccination every Wednesday and Saturday,” he said in an advisory.
Zapatos said the bus, which has an assigned vaccination team from the City Health Office, will visit various strategic areas within the city’s 26 barangays in the coming days.
He said the mobile vaccination is supported by various local government offices and support units, and the barangays.
These include the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Red Cross Sarangani-GenSan chapter, Trace and Protect Action Team, City Planning and Development Office, City Mayor’s Office, and the City Public Information Office.
Rock Eliseo Garay, chairman of Barangay Dadiangas South, said in a report that they requested for the conduct of the mobile vaccination at the city’s main public market as most of the vendors and workers there were not yet inoculated against Covid-19.
He said market stakeholders were willing to get vaccinated but didn’t have the spare time to go to the fixed facilities.
“With the visit of the bakuna bus, they did not have a reason anymore for not getting the vaccine,” he said.
Barangay City Heights councilor Richard John Casabuena, who assisted in the information campaign, urged residents to take advantage of the services of the “bakuna bus” once it stop by their area.
Although the inoculation is voluntary, he urged residents to get vaccinated as it is the only way to help end the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re supporting this initiative to ensure that more lives will be saved (from severe Covid-19),” he said.
Zapatos said they are planning to deploy more mobile facilities in the coming days to further expand the vaccination coverage in the city.
He said they were considering tapping ambulances for the program and deploy them in hard-to-reach areas in the city.
“We’re doing everything to bring the vaccines closer to you. We hope for your cooperation so this will become successful and we eventually reach our goal to achieve herd immunity,” he added. (PNA)
