ILOILO City – Although the opening of school year 2021-2022 is yet to be ascertained and which mode of learning would be adopted, school teachers and staff are now getting ready for enrollment.
But how and where can they avail themselves of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?
Teachers aren’t the priority yet, according to Dr. Ramir Barberan Uytico, director of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Region 6. However, they can coordinate with their local government units (LGUs), he stressed.
Uytico said the DepEd central office has yet to bare its own vaccination program, if any, for teachers and school staff.
“It (vaccination) is LGU-based as of this time. May mga (priority) categories na sinusunod. Depende sa mga LGUs ‘yan,” Uytico told Panay News.
The government’s prioritization framework for COVID-19 vaccination has listed teachers in “Priority Eligible B” group.
Currently, vaccination is ongoing for “Priority Eligible A” (workers in frontline health services, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel, and indigent population).
“Priority Eligible B” covers teachers, social workers, other government workers, other essential workers, socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and poor population, overseas Filipino workers, and other remaining workforce.
However, if a teacher or DepEd staff qualifies in “Priority Eligible A” such as for being a senior citizen or a person with comorbidities, he may have himself vaccinated now, said Uytico.
In fact, said Uytico, he already completed his doses of the China-made CoronaVac vaccine. He had a comorbidity (hypertension).
DepEd Region 6 has 78,197 teachers and school employees, Uytico said.
He did not have data as to the number of teachers or school staff who already received their anti-coronavirus jabs.
“Our monitoring is ongoing,” said Uytico said.
He reminded the teachers and school employees to always be mindful of the minimum health protocols.
For tertiary schools, Dr. Arnold John Anceno, Education Supervisor II of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in Region 6, said they would follow, too, the national guidelines on the rollout of vaccines.
“Nasa DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) and LGUs po kasi ‘yon. Doon po sa national vaccination protocol natin, A1 to A3 pa lamang (ang priority),” Anceno said in an interview with Panay News, referring to workers in frontline health services, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities.
He clarified that they also have employees who already received their doses.
“The commission already started the vaccination pero it is dependent on the LGU kung saan po naka-reside ang mga empleyado. ‘Yon po ang pina-follow po natin,” Anceno added./PN
