Since limited face-to-face classes in select schools were allowed as early as late last year, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has observed a “low infection” rate among the students and faculty in these higher education institutions (HEIs).
“Ang magandang balita, out of the the 118 HEIs, kinuha natin ang data at ang lumabas, bagama’t meron tayong infection na nangyari sa ibang rehiyion, ang na-infect na mga estudyante ay .03 percent lang (The good news is, out of the 118 HEIs that we took the data , the result is that although we have an infection that occurred in other regions, only .03 percent of the students were infected),” Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Popoy De Vera said in a virtual presser on Aug. 27.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/27/ched-118-universities-colleges-approved-to-hold-limited-face-to-face-classes/
Based on the data, De Vera said that there are “41 out of 9,700 students” who contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and “15 out of over 1,000 faculty” who also De Vera was quick to add that there were no deaths reported among the students and faculty who tested positive for COVID-19.
“Dun sa mga nagka-COVID, wala naman namatay, lahat sila ay gumaling na (Out of those who got COVID, nobody died, they have all recovered),” he said.
For De Vera, the low infection rate among those who were allowed to attend limited face-to-face classes showed that prioritizing medicine and allied health sciences was the “correct decision.”
“Sa paniniwala ko, sa paniniwala ng CHED, mas health conscious iyong mga degree programs na iyan kasi kasama sa pag-aaral nila ang health (For me and CHED, we think there was a small number of infections because those who are under these programs are more health conscious, health this is part of what their studies),” De Vera said.
He also noted that low infection rate can also be attributed to the “well-written guidelines” as well as the compliance of the higher education institutions (HEIs).
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/02/12/ched-doh-issue-guidelines-for-limited-face-to-face-classes-at-the-tertiary-level/
In University of Manila (UP), which was allowed to hold limited face-to-face classes as early as December 2020, De Vera said that “they have zero infection.”
Aside from the guidelines, De Vera said that there is a “higher level of safety” of protection among these students and faculty since the majority of them are already vaccinated against COVID-19.
De Vera said that “76 percent of students and 96 percent of faculty” members attending limited face-to-face classes have been vaccinated to date.
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https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/28/heis-need-to-retrofit-facilities-revise-curriculum-to-reopen-limited-face-to-face-classes-ched/