MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Higher Education on Tuesday said the government is planning to tap medicine and nursing students to help in the country's COVID-19 vaccination program.
Those likely to be asked as vaccinators are students in their fourth to fifth year, as well as graduates who have yet to pass their licensure examinations, according to chairperson Prospero de Vera III.
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He told the Laging Handa briefing that he had met with testing czar Vince Dizon and school administrators from public and private universities and colleges for the move.
Dizon is also deputy chief implementer of the government's pandemic response.
"Schools have given a positive response," De Vera said in Filipino. "We are now crafting the guidelines to see how it will work because we will need more help in vaccinating as more supplies arrive."
CHED previously tapped school campuses as COVID-19 inoculation sites.
Data obtained by Philstar.com showed the commission has designated 63 campuses across the country for this. Most of the sites are in Metro Manila, where the vaccination program is focused.
By August 29, official figures showed there are now 13.78 million Filipinos fullty vaccinated for COVID-19. That is against the government's goal of inoculating up to 70 million this year.
Some 19.13 million, meanwhile, have received their first shot, with 33.09 million vaccine doses in total administered.
The pandemic task force said the country averaged 387,176 inoculations per day in the last week. There were also 1,821 vaccination sites on average reporting data.