Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday urged the government to accelerate its COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the 12 to 17 age group to help protect and uphold the safety of teachers and students following a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Gatchalian, who is seeking re-election in the upcoming May 2022 elections, made the call as the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) reimposed Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila amid the detection of more cases of the Omicron variant.
While face-to-face classes in basic education are prohibited in areas under Alert Level 3, the senator pointed out that teachers and learners remain vulnerable to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said it is imperative to conduct regular COVID-19 tests on teachers, especially because they continue to report for work despite the lack of face-to-face classes.
“Despite the rising cases of COVID-19 and the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant, we should continue implementing all the necessary protective measures to our students and teachers so they won’t fall ill,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
But in areas which remain under Alert Level 2, Gatchalian said schools should continue to strictly implement mitigation measures such as contact tracing and the installation of adequate sanitation facilities.
“Even if we defer the face-to-face classes in Metro Manila, it’s important to conduct regular COVID-19 tests for our teachers to prevent infection within schools,” he said.
“For our students, vaccination is key to ensure added protection especially if they would be allowed to return to their classes in person,” the lawmaker stressed.
Para sa mga mag-aaral naman, magbibigay ang bakuna ng dagdag na proteksyon lalo na kung dumating ang panahong makakabalik na sila sa kanilang mga paaralan,” Gatchalian added.
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier reported that 7.1 million out of 12.7 million minors aged 12 to 17 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 2.7 million have been fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the pediatric vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 will begin this month.
Gatchalian earlier urged local government units (LGUs) to start preparations for the vaccination of 5 to 11-year olds.