More than 300k teachers got vaccinated vs COVID-19 — Briones

More than 300,000 teachers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said Monday.

At the Laging Handa briefing, Briones said the data only covered 15 out of the 17 regions as the department’s offices in Region 4B and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have yet to submit their reports.

Briones said their target is to vaccinate a substantial number of teachers by the end of August or weeks before the opening of classes on September 13. The Cabinet official also said she already received the vaccine.

Last month, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it was focused on encouraging teachers and personnel to get vaccinated “in preparation for the eventual implementation of limited face-to-face classes in low-risk areas.”

“Should the President and the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) allow limited face-to-face classes based on the gains of our COVID-19 mitigation efforts, DepEd shall still employ stringent conditions and safety protocols in our field offices and schools that will participate in the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes,” the DepEd said in a statement on June 14.

On June 21, Duterte rejected the DepEd’s proposal to hold limited face-to-face classes, saying he did not want to “gamble on the health of the children.” He also underscored the importance of vaccination. — RSJ, GMA News