Mass hiring of vaccinators urged
A neophyte solon is urging the national government to mass hire nurses and medical technologists as vaccinators.
Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles made the appeal as the government started giving minors the COVID-19 vaccines.
“It is crucial for us to accelerate our national vaccination rate to ensure herd immunity before the end of year or even earlier. We can even hit two birds with one stone by employing qualified health professionals. Such an act will hit both our public health and unemployment concerns,” Nograles said.
Earlier this week, President Rodridgo Duterte ordered local government units to fast-track their respective vaccination drives in order to meet the government’s target of having 50 million fully inoculated Filipinos by the end of 2021.
Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez also announced Wednesday that the country will start its rollout of COVID-19 vaccination for minors aged 12 to 17 as early as the first week of November.
“We are over the issue of low vaccine supply and as such, we need to do everything to speed up our economic recovery. I believe we are on the right track and as children will soon be fully protected, we are not too far from returning to face-to-face classes and the new normal,” he added.
The Rizal solon last week also called on LGUs to intensify vaccination information drives to address vaccine hesitancy in communities.
“Now that we are targeting to protect young people, it is just right to also involve the Commission on Higher Education and student groups in persuading our youth to avail of the available vaccines. We have heard the call of some student groups for a Ligtas na Balik-Eskwela and I think we can tap their help in making their demand happen. They can even probably help us locate unemployed graduates of health-related degrees in our quest to find more vaccinators,” Nograles also said.
