MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos oversees vaccination during today’s launch of the ‘We Vax As one’ initiative at the PITX in Parañaque City. (Photo: MMDA PIO/Mary Ann Tanbio)
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has announced that it will be opening additional vaccination sites at strategic locations in Metro Manila to further ramp up the government’s vaccination efforts and inoculate unvaccinated residents as well as those who are due for booster shots.
According to MMDA chairman Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr., the initiative, called ‘We Vax As One: Mobile Vaccination Drive’ and launched today at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), is in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and other concerned agencies of government.
During the launching, Abalos said they are now identifying more locations in the National Capital Region (NCR) in a bid to accommodate more people to get their Covid-19 vaccination doses and booster shots.
“The mobile vaccination drive at PITX is our pilot site and we plan to expand this to more accessible sites as we go along. It is not enough to have two Covid-19 doses; it is important to get booster shots to be fully protected from the virus,” the former Mandaluyong City mayor pointed out.
He said that the mobile vaccination drive will be manned by a doctor who will be assisted by at least 20 nurses and will run for five days until January 28, from 8:00 in the morning to 12:00 high noon. It targets inoculating some 500 individuals per day, whether for first, second or booster shot.
“We have been deploying our vaccinators not only in Metro Manila but in other places all over the country. We are passionate towards the goal of having everyone fully vaccinated and have booster shots,” Abalos enthused.
He added that the ‘We Vax As One’ initiative will be accessible for all those who want to be protected from Covid-19, especially when vaccination sites have been set up at strategic locations.
“We will strategize; what is important here is for people to have their booster shots, that is our objective,” Abalos said. Towards this goal, transportation undersecretary for administrative service Artemio Tuazon Jr. shared that the DoTr is also planning to set up vaccination centers at airports, seaports, train stations, exit points of expressways, among other areas, on the directive of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.
For her part and in support of the MMDA initiative, Department of Health (DoH) NCR regional director Dr. Gloria Balboa emphasized the importance of getting Covid-19 booster shots even as she praised agencies like the MMDA who are continually initiating moves to accommodate more people to be inoculated.
“This would help other local government units to reach their vaccination targets. The more we vaccinate people, the better,” Balboa opined.
