Bacolod to launch 2nd ‘VAX-i’ bus as transport firm supports vaccination drive

The City Government of Bacolod will launch at 4 this afternoon [Aug. 19], its second “VAX-i” bus in partnership with Vallacar Transit, Inc.

The launching ceremony, to be led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and other City officials, will be held at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds.

Invited to join Leonardia are Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, city councilors, City Administrator Em Ang, concurrent executive director of the Emergency Operations Center; Dr. Edwin Miraflor Jr., OIC-City Health Officer; Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC deputy medical, and other officials of the COVID-19 Vaccination Council and the EOC-Task Force.

Leonardia said that with the second VAX-i bus in operation, the city government hopes to reach as many vaccine recipients in keeping with the target to hasten efforts to achieve herd immunity.

The EOC efforts these past months, the mayor pointed out, have been highly commendable as the team of former Councilor Ang, the doctors, nurses and frontliners have introduced innovations and established many “firsts” in the vaccination drive that are now being replicated by other local government units in the country.

These pioneering initiatives, he said, include the recent implementation of the mobile vaccination using the city government’s bus dubbed as VAX-i or the vaccine taxi that initially inoculated 4,752 market vendors and Business Process Outsourcing emplyees, the drive-thru vaccination at the 5th level parking area of Ayala Malls Capitol Central on top of the ongoing inoculation at mass vaccination sites, different malls and other on-site venues available at major BPO companies.

“Our goal is to make the vaccines available to as many Bacolodnons. This way, we keep our communities safe as well as our loved ones,” the mayor added.

Vallacar Transit Inc., thru its president Leo Rey Yanson and matriarch Olivia Yanson, has generously offered the use of one of its buses for the mobile vaccination drive of the City of Bacolod, said Councilor Cindy Rojas.

On August 13, Leonardia led a simple launch of VAX-i mobile vaccination Drive at the BCGC.

Ang said, the VAX-i bus drives around Bacolod with doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers on board, who will administer COVID-19 vaccines to workers in the marginalized sectors.

CoVaC reported that the local government has so far inoculated a total of 180,045 residents, close to 80,000 of whom have already been fully vaccinated as of Sunday, Aug. 15, Leonardia said.* (CITY PIO)