MANILA, Philippines — Senator Richard Gordon wants more vaccinators to be trained, including those without a medical background, as the government expects to start the vaccination program against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by February.
“I will file a bill on Monday that during times of emergency or even if there is no crisis, we should train vaccinators such as dentists, veterinarians, medical technologists, and even those without a medical background,” Gordon said, speaking partly in Filipino, in a statement on Saturday.
“We can put to bear millions of our young people who may want to become doctors someday and can practice with bakuna, provided it’s under clinical supervision,” he added.
During a previous Senate inquiry, a worried Gordon questioned the health department’s capacity for the nation’s Covid-19 vaccination program with only 617,239 medical workers to inoculate over 70 million Filipinos.
Health Chief Francisco Duque III approved Gordon’s proposal to train more vaccinators.
The government said three vaccines from international pharmaceutical firms, namely Gamaleya, Sinovac, and Pfizer, are expected to be delivered in the country by February.
This Saturday, the total count of coronavirus disease cases in the country reached almost 500,000, with 28,674 active cases, 9,884 recoveries, and 460,133 fatalities.