ANGELES CITY – The city government of Angeles has started its house-to-house COVID-19 vaccination of 20 bedridden elderly in Barangay Lourdes Sur East by deploying a mobile bus vaccine clinic on Friday.
A total of 660 bedridden elderly will receive their inoculation via house-to-house visitation
The city government aims to deliver easier and accessible vaccination service to the senior citizens inflicted with diseases or other health-related issues.
The mobile vaccination of seniors starts with an assessment by doctors and health workers of the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center (RLMMC) and City Health Office (CHO) a day before their scheduled vaccination.
“This is to make sure that the bedridden seniors are ready, capable, and fit to receive the vaccine,” RLMMC Chief of Hospital Dr. Froilan Canlas said.
These medical frontliners are also present inside the mobile bus during vaccination day.
Also inside the mobile bus owned by the city government and Korean Association are complete medical equipment for the safe transport of the vaccines and for the safety of senior citizens.
Alongside the mobile bus are two ambulances and one mobile clinic utility vehicle.
Apart from administering the vaccine on a house-to-house approach, P1,000 cash assistance and Vitamin C supplements will also be given to the senior citizens.
“We have to extend the inoculation at the grassroots level by reaching out to those unreached,” according to Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr.
According to IC Calaguas, Lazatin’s chief adviser, the mobile vaccination for the elderly will serve as preparation for the goal of conducting house-to-house inoculation and to reach Angeleños residing in far-flung areas such as Barangays Sapangbato and Margot.
To date, out of the 49,964 members of the elderly population in the city, 19,501 seniors received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 11,451 are already fully vaccinated.
The vaccination of the priority group of senior citizens is still ongoing via schedule.
In November 2020, 462 bedridden seniors received P2,000 cash assistance and calcium carbonate supplements via door-to-door delivery.
This was started in 2019 as fulfillment of Mayor Lazatin’s campaign promise.
Amid the pandemic, the city government also carried out a house-to-house distribution of Vitamin C to 25,000 indigent senior citizens.
Some 55,816 seniors also received P1,000 social amelioration financial assistance and Vitamin C from the city government last May 2020.
(MAIN PHOTO: A bedridden senior citizen in Brgy Lourdes Sur East in Angeles City receives a COVID-19 jab during the house-to-house mobile vaccination drive in the city.)