PCG commits assets, personnel for 3-day nat'l vaccination drive

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Wednesday that its sea, air assets and personnel are ready to assist in national government's three-day national vaccination drive from November 29 to December 1.

In a Laging Handa interview, PCG Commandant Admiral Leopoldo Laroya said that they received a letter from vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. asking for assistance for the campaign.

“Nakahanda po ang inyong coast guard na tumulong" (The PCG is ready to help). In fact, we have been helping the government since last year when the pandemic started, Laroya said.

"Ang ating mga barko, ang ating mga eroplano at choppers ay naka-standby po kung kinakailangan mag-transport ng ating mga vaccines sa 14 regions ng Pilipinas" (Our vessels, planes, and choppers are on standby should the need to help transport vaccines to the 14 regions of the country arise), he added. 

Aside from the sea and air assets, Laroya said they are willing to dispatch 200 nurses from the agency to help with the vaccination drive dubbed “Bayanihan, Bakunahan”.

Last Friday, the Department of Health (DOH) said that it needed around 160,000 volunteers -- from health screeners, post-vaccination monitoring personnel, health educators, registration personnel, data consolidators, encoders to vaccinators -- for the three-day vaccination drive.

The government is eyeing to administer five million doses per day or 15 million doses by the end of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. This is part of the goal to vaccinate 70% of the entire population by year end. —LBG, GMA News