A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken Oct. 30, 2020. (File photo from REUTERS)
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd-7) reported that almost all of its office staff and teaching personnel were already vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, in a recent interview, said 99 percent of their department’s workforce were jabbed with COVID-19 vaccines.
Jimenez said those who remained unvaccinated were pregnant women and those who were advised by their respective physicians not to get the vaccines.
DepEd-7 is composed of at least 67,000 personnel, including officials and teaching and non-teaching staff members.
In the meantime, the top DepEd-7 official said they are glad that the national government has proceeded in rolling out the vaccines for adolescents age 12 to 17-years-old.
According to Jimenez, the vaccination rollout helped in ensuring the first weeks of the limited face-to-face classes went smoothly.
He added that parents are less worried about dropping their children off to school when both students and teachers are already vaccinated.
“Ang ako lang appeal pud nga kinahanglan unta kitang tanan ipadayon nato ang atong pagpabakana. Ipadayon ang atoang pagtinabangay para sa atong kawsa sa mao na pag-andam sa atong mga kabataan, sa ilang ugma pud”, Jimenez said.
Resumption of in-person classes in selected schools in the country began last November 15 and is expected to end on January 31, 2022.
In Central Visayas, a total of eight public schools were allowed to go back to the traditional style of teaching.
DepEd-7 has endorsed a total of 440 schools in the region for the next chapter of the government’s limited face-to-face classes.
RELATED STORIES
DepEd-7 endorses 440 schools for the expansion of limited face-to-face classes
Capitol to reward newly vaccinated people during National Vax Days
/dcb