MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is eyeing to hire additional vaccinators and open more inoculation sites as it expands its COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Department of Health said Wednesday.
“If we look at our vaccination rollout right now, we are going to add additional sectors of the population to be vaccinated. That would be about 12.7 million children,” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
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The Philippines is set to start the nationwide vaccination of minors aged 12 to 17.
Vergeire said more vaccinators are also needed in preparation for the administration of booster shots to medical workers, senior citizens and those with health risks.
“That will be an additional almost 10 million individuals so we are looking at adding more vaccinators, expanding hours of vaccination, and expanding the vaccination sites,” she said.
In a briefing, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, who leads the national vaccination operations center, said registered dentists can help administer COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
“They can be vaccinators as long as they have training,” she said in Filipino.
Officials have been saying the country is no longer dealing with vaccine supply issues.
“We’re not saying that we can be able to finish all of these sectors overnight. It’s going to be done in phases and we are looking at a spillover until January or February of next year,” Vergeire said.
Since March, 26.1 million Filipinos have completed the recommended doses, while 30.6 million have received partial protection. The government aims to vaccinate 77 million people this year.