DOH needs 160,000 volunteers for 3-day national vaccination drive

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it needed around 160,000 volunteers for the national vaccination drive from November 29 to December 1.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they need health screeners, vaccinators, post-vaccination monitoring personnel, health educators, registration personnel, data consolidators, and encoders.

Based on the expected number of vaccine recipients, Vergeire said they may need 30,000 vaccination teams, comprised of five to six individuals.

“Kaya nananawagan po tayo sa ating mga medical societies, nanawagan po tayo sa mga eskwelahan, medical schools, nursing schools, and the other healthcare workers schools kung maari po, tulungan niyo po tayo,” she said at a media briefing.

(That’s why we are calling on our medical societies, schools, medical schools, nursing schools, and other healthcare worker schools to help us if they are able.)

“This is not just for the government, this is for the public. 'Pag tumaas na po ang ating bakunahan, marami na pong mga kababayan natin ang bakunado, mas magiging protektado tayo sa sakit at makikita nating patuloy na baba ang mga sakit dito sa ating bansa,” she added.

(This is not just for the government, this is for the public. If our vaccination rates increase, we will be more protected against COVID-19 and cases will decrease.)

Vergeire said healthcare workers interested in participating may scan the QC code to register.

DOH calls on healthcare workers to volunteer for the three-day vaccination drive from November 29 to December 1.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergerie said the government needs around 160,000 individuals. pic.twitter.com/ow1URpkpCR

— Joahna Lei Casilao (@joahnacasilao) November 19, 2021

The government seeks to administer five million doses daily during the three-day national vaccination campaign.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), meanwhile, called for volunteers from the private sector.

"Sa mga may-ari ng mga kumpanya sa pribadong sektor, siguruhin po natin na 100% ng ating mga empleyado ay kailangan bakunado. At kung sila po ay bakunado na, makipag-ugnayan din po tayo sa ating LGU at mag-volunteer po tayo ng ating mga empleyado para tumulong dito sa ating national vaccination day," DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said at a Palace briefing.

(To the owners of companies in the private sector, let us ensure that 100% of our employees are vaccinated. If they are already vaccinated, coordinate with the LGU and volunteer your employees to assist on the national vaccination day.)

Malaya said the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) is already drafting the targets for each local government unit during the three-day vaccination drive.

The targets include the number of doses, vaccination teams and vaccination sites to be opened for the program.

"We will issue a memorandum circular in the next few days for all LGUs to ensure that there is enough manpower and vaccination sites so that they can meet their daily targets," Malaya said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Government data showed on Thursday that close to 33 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The country was able to administer 1,154,131 COVID-19 doses on November 18. — VBL, GMA News