By Pearl Gumapos
The Philippine Red Cross on Wednesday received additional doses of Sinovac vaccines from the government to support its efforts in vaccinating working individuals and those belonging to priority groups.
The PRC has established six Bakuna Centers in Metro Manila: at Kabaka Compound, Pandacan, Manila; PRC molecular laboratory in Mandaluyong; PRC Port Area, Manila; San Lorenzo, Makati; Arcovia City, Pasig; and PRC Pasay City Chapter.
“The Philippine Red Cross is committed to help the government reinforce our defense against COVID-19 by vaccinating our people,” PRC Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard Gordon said in a press release.
“The Red Cross has the manpower, the resources, and the compassion to reach out to our people and prevent them from getting sick,” he said.
According to the press release, the PRC is not new to vaccination as it also provided substantial support in past vaccination campaigns against polio and measles-rubella.
In those campaigns, PRC’s linkages to partner institutions like the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) and the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) in the country were maximized.
Recently, the PRC proposed that the 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. – jlo
