MANILA - While a law is needed to enforce mandatory vaccination in a population, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire believes jabs are a must for workers in the health sector.

Health workers should be among sectors required to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Health Undersecretary and spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday.

• DOH backs mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in some sectors

"Tayo po ang healthcare workers dapat po lahat tayo bakunado, humaharap po tayo sa pasyente, yung risk natin 'pag di pa tayo bakunado maaari pa nating mahawa dito sa sakit na COVID-19," she told reporters.

(We're healthcare workers, we should be vaccinated because we face patients, we risk infecting them with COVID-19.)

"So it should be mandated that all healthcare workers should be vaccinated dahil importante po 'yan sa trabaho natin at para maproteksyunan natin ang ating sarili."

(So it should be mandated that all healthcare workers should be vaccinated because it's important in our jobs and to protect ourselves also.)

Some 1.56 million or 95.39 percent of health workers have been fully vaccinated against the respiratory illness, while 1.63 million have received their first dose as of Nov. 2, the DOH earlier said.

Meantime, some 230,357 adolescents have been vaccinated against COVID-19, with 0.10 percent adverse events recorded, Vergeire said.

"The top 3 most frequently reported, are the expected temporary reactions. Vaccination site pain, masakit ang ulo o di kaya nahihilo (they experienced head ache or nauseau), anxiety-related reaction," she said.

"Lahat (All) were managed, all addressed. Napauwi din (They were sent home) after proper management."

Nationwide, a total of 29.3 million individuals have received full protection while 34.4 million have received an initial dose as of Saturday, according to government data.

The government is aiming to vaccinate at least 1.5 million people daily to achieve its herd protection mandate by the end of the year.