The Department of Health (DOH) renewed its appeal to parents to let their children get vaccinated against Covid-19.
DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire made the statement after the Department of Education (DepEd) recently announced that some schools in the country are recording cases of Covid-19 among students and teachers.
“Ang pagbabakuna talaga ang susi para magtuloy-tuloy ang face to face classes (Vaccination is really the key in order for face to face classes to continue),” said Vergeire in a press briefing on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
However, Vergeire said that it is expected that there will be cases of Covid-19 in schools amid the resumption of in-person classes.
“Yes, it is expected that cases will be there as long as, lagi natin sinasabi na hindi naman malubha yung nakikita nating nagiging sakit ng mga kabataan (these cases among children are not severe),” she said.
“Meron pong transmission na nangyayari pero napuputol naman agad (There is transmission but these are immediately cut off) because there are surveillance or safety officers in schools,” she added.
Vergeire also emphasized the importance of wearing masks, frequent hand washing, and good ventilation as these can also help protect students against the Covid-19 virus.
Meanwhile, Vergeire said that they are coordinating with DepEd with regards to the number of students and teachers who contracted Covid-19 amid the implementation of face-to-face classes.
“Kami ay nakipag-usap sa DepEd (We are in talks with DepEd) so we can consolidate and harmonize data. Yung kanilang reporting kasi hindi pa kumpleto sa ngayon (Their report is not complete yet),” she said.
“Wala pa tayong maibigay na accurate na number. Hindi pa po tayo magpapalabas hangga’t hindi pa ma-harmonize with DepEd yung ating mga statistics (We cannot provide an accurate number as of this time. We will not release any data until our statistics are harmonized with DepEd),” she added.
Academic year 2022-2023 started last August. All schools were ordered by DepEd to shift to in-person classes by November.
Individuals aged five years old and above are allowed to get vaccinated against Covid-19 in the country.