An administration lawmaker has recommended the mass hiring of nurses and medical technologists as the country’s vaccination drive shifts to full gear next month with the addition of minors in the list of recipients.

Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles said increasing manpower for the vaccination operations would help guarantee success in reaching herd immunity in the country.

Further, Nograles said the inclusion of minors in the vaccine list would require additional personnel in vaccine centers.

“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,” said Nograles, vice chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.

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,” stressed Nograles.

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,” he stated.

“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,” Nograles said.

He added: “They can even probably help us locate unemployed graduates of health-related degrees in our quest to find more vaccinators.”